Sacto 9-1-1

A man arrested Friday morning in Roseville on suspicion of attempting to lure a child into his vehicle Thursday evening has been released without being charged.

After Roseville police interviewed the man and verified his whereabouts at the time of the incident, they determined that he was not involved.

Roseville police received a report at 5:04 p.m. Thursday that a man in a white van had tried to get a child to enter his vehicle at Catherine Gates Elementary School on Trehowell Drive. Unable to find the suspect upon arrival, police sent out a description, and people in the area identified the man. After police established probable cause, the man who was later released was taken into custody without incident.

Roseville police said in a news release that they have received several reports of strangers talking to children or offering them rides in the vicinity of schools the past few weeks. The descriptions of the strangers and their vehicles has varied widely. The department asks that parents remain vigilant over their children as they continue to investigate the reports.

A Sacramento man has been sentenced to three years in prison for possessing child pornography.

Anthony Gordon Pollo, 23, pleaded guilty July 11 and was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Garland E. Burrell Jr. His prison term is to be followed by 10 years of supervised release.

According to court documents, law enforcement officials identified computers at Pollo's residence offering known files of child pornography through a file-sharing network. A search warrant was executed April 20, and detectives did not find a computer. At first, Pollo said that he had thrown out his hard drive but later admitted that the hard drive was at a local repair shop, according to a federal Department of Justice news release.

A Sacramento man was arrested in West Sacramento early today after allegedly attempting to steal tubing from a local beverage company.

Police received a call from the employees of the 24-hour operated Nor-Cal Beverages plant at 1955 Cebrian Ave. about 12:30 a.m. that a man had driven onto the property and started loading the back of his pickup truck with tubing from the site.

When the Comse Aldaco, 33, saw police arriving, he got in his truck and drove through a gate that employees had closed to keep him on the property, said Lt. Tod Sockman, West Sacramento Police Department spokesman.

Folsom police announced today that an approximately six-month investigation resulted in the arrest Thursday of three Sacramento residents believed to be connected with a majority of the heroin that has been coming into Folsom.

Search warrants were served at multiple locations and turned up and estimated $22,000 worth of drugs, police said.

Shamia Ingram (left photo), 31, and Jermaine Ellison (center photo), 40, were arrested after three-quarters of a pound of tar heroin was recovered at their home in the 7400 block of Winkley Way in Sacramento's Meadowview neighborhood, according to a Police Department news release. Marijuana and commonly abused prescription medications were also recovered, along with $5,600 in cash.

The El Dorado County Sheriff's Office is warning the public of a credit card scam, after receiving reports from several victims.

Victims give this account of how the transaction occurs, according to a Sheriff's Office news release:

Your phone rings and if you have caller ID, a 1-888 number will appear. The caller offers a low fixed-rate interest rate on a credit card or credit card consolidation. The caller then asks for credit card numbers, expiration dates, Social Security numbers, mother's maiden name and other verification passwords.

Once the caller has obtained the information, the caller tells you they need to process the information and will call you back. In addition, there will be a one-time financial fee, which will vary in amount.

Roseville police have arrested a man suspected of trying to lure a child into his vehicle Thursday afternoon.

At 5:04 p.m., officers responded to Catherine Gates Elementary School on Trehowell Drive regarding a report that a man had tried to lure a child into his white van. Police were unable to locate the suspect at that time, but they broadcast a description to neighboring law enforcement agencies.

With the assistance of neighboring agencies, the man was identified and officers developed probable cause to make an arrest, according to a Police Department news release. Roseville officers took him into custody this morning without incident.

With the destruction of a marijuana garden on private property near the Butte County line earlier this week, the Yuba County Sheriff's Department reports that more than 25,000 marijuana plants have been eradicated in the county this year.

The department's Marijuana Eradication Team disposed of nearly 2,000 marijuana plants from a grow near Rackerby on Monday, according to a Sheriff's Department news release.

The illegal garden, believed to belong to a drug trafficking organization, was located about a half-mile from the Butte County line. Officials said it was on private property, several hundred feet from Bureau of Land Management property.

Lockdowns at Mesa Verde High School and neighboring Carriage Drive Elementary School in Citrus Heights have been lifted after a search of the campuses and neighborhood failed to turn up anyone with a gun.

Citrus Heights Police Department spokesman Officer Jon Kempf said police received a call at 11:57 a.m. that an individual had been seen on the high school campus with what appeared to be a handgun in a waistband.

Police conducted a safety check of the campuses and neighborhood, but Kempf said no one with a weapon was located.

A spokeswoman at Mesa Verde High School said automated calls were made to parents to notify them of the situation.

Kempf said the lockdowns were lifted about 2:20 p.m.

The parents of one of the victims of the 1980 "Davis sweetheart" killings asked a judge today to not grant defendant Richard Hirschfield another delay in his Sacramento Superior Court trial.

"As we are getting older, this is something that is in our life every day," said Kate Riggins, 76. "We feel very strongly we need to keep to the date and at least get things underway so justice can be done."

Her son, John Riggins, and his girlfriend and fellow UC Davis student Sabrina Gonsalves, both 18, were last seen the night of Dec. 20, 1980. Their slain bodies were found two days later in a ravine near Lake Natoma.

By Rick Daysog

rdaysog@sacbee.com

A federal grand jury has indicted six Sacramento area residents in connection with a mortgage fraud scheme that allegedly bilked $1.8 million from several banks.

Angela Shavlovsky, 52, of Sacramento; Vitaliy Tuzman, 31, of West Sacramento; 34-year-old Alexander Kokhanets of Roseville; 38-year-old Boris Murzak and 40-year-old Zinaida Murzak, both of Sacramento; and Valeri Mysin, 31, of Citrus Heights were charged Wednesday with conspiracy to commit mail fraud, according to the U.S. Attorney's office.

Liquor-related arrests were up, drug arrests were down and assaults pretty much held steady last year on UC Davis property compared to the previous year, according a press release from the university.

The annual statistics were prepared for the federal Clery Act.

"UC Davis is a relatively safe campus, but no community of our size is crime-free," said campus Police Chief Annette Spicuzza.

Comparisons between 2010 and 2009:

It will cost $26,000 to replace copper wire stolen from soccer field lights in Roseville. A reward was offered Friday to find the thief.

Someone stripped the copper wire from light poles at Maidu Regional Park soccer fields during the night of Sept. 22 or early morning of Sept 23. It is estimated that it will take two to four weeks to repair the lights.

El Dorado County Sheriff's deputies are asking for the public's help in finding a woman who was last seen a week ago.

Sara Jane Fawcett (photo right), who worked at the Placerville Walmart, called in sick on Sept. 22. She was heard from a day later.

Another instance of violence has occurred in connection with a marijuana grow -- this time in Rancho Cordova.

Rancho Cordova police said that just before 11 p.m. a Sacramento County Sheriff's deputy heard gunshots ring out near Coloma Road and Ranchito Court. While deputies searched for the source of the gunshots, they were waved down by a man with a bleeding hand.

A Sacramento man was shot at a south Sacramento gas station Thursday evening after a reported fender-bender on Highway 99, according to the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department.

Department personnel received a call at 6:01 p.m. saying that a man had been shot in the leg at a Chevron gas station at Stockton Boulevard and Elsie Avenue.

Police say that the victim's girlfriend, a passenger in the victim's vehicle, said they had pulled off of the freeway and into the gas station to exchange information with the driver of a green van.

The driver of the van allegedly got out of the car, shot the victim in the leg and fled in his vehicle. The victim is being treated at Kaiser South Medical Center.

Deputy Jason Ramos said that there are conflicting stories about the suspect's getaway. Other witnesses said the suspect fled on foot.

The suspect is described as a heavyset black man wearing a light-colored shirt and dark shorts.

A Sacramento business has lost its alcoholic beverage license after the owner purchased purportedly stolen property from an undercover investigator, according to a spokesman for the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control.

John Carr said the notice of revocation was posted this afternoon at Don's Bottle Shop, 611 16th St. The revocation is effective immediately and means the store cannot sell alcohol.

The business' license to sell liquor was revoked because owner Khalid Kahn on multiple occasions purchased what was represented as stolen property from an undercover ABC investigator, Carr said.

By Cynthia Hubert
chubert@sacbee.com

A new nonprofit group is offering help to crime victims and their families in Sacramento and Yolo counties.

The Crime Victims Assistance Network Foundation, or iCAN, offers counseling, advocacy, referral information and support in court and parole hearings, said victim services coordinator Pat Dewey. All services are free.

U.S. Forest Service crews will begin prescribed fire operations Friday near the west end of Ward Canyon on Lake Tahoe's west shore.

The project involves about 2 acres, and the operation may continue through the week, weather and staff permitting.

Residents and visitors can expect to see smoke from the burn area and smoke may be visible on Highway 89, according to a Forest Service news release. Officials said efforts are made to reduce the effect of smoke on community areas.

By Bill Lindelof and Cathy Locke
blindelof@sacbee.com

A 21-year-old man was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries after he was shot by a California Highway Patrol officer when he refused to put down his weapon, a law enforcement spokesman said.

The officer-involved shooting occurred in Sacramento's south area near Fruitridge Road and Martin Luther King Boulevard shortly before noon. The injured man was shot once in the upper body, according to Deputy Jason Ramos, Sacramento County Sheriff's Department spokesman.

The shooting at 23rd Avenue and Del Norte Boulevard occurred about 11:45 a.m. A CHP officer on routine patrol westbound on 23rd Avenue noticed a man with a handgun walking on the sidewalk on the north side of the street in a residential neighborhood.

By Tony Bizjak
tbizjak@sacbee.com

California Highway Patrol officials say they believe their two-year motorcycle safety campaign, now ending, has helped reduce injury and fatality rates. The federally funded campaign, "Look Twice, Save a Life," was designed to increase drivers' awareness of motorcyclists on the road.

Preliminary 2010 CHP statistics show the number of people killed in motorcycle-involved collisions was down 9 percent from the previous year. The number of injuries was down 8.5 percent.

"Although this campaign is coming to a close, we're pleased with the encouraging results," said CHP Commissioner Joe Farrow. "There is still more work to be done, and our efforts to raise awareness through education and enforcement will continue."

By Andy Furillo
afurillo@sacbee.com

Two Sacramento Superior Court juries have convicted brothers Gary and Chong Vue of first-degree murder in the 2008 shooting death of California correctional officer Steve Lo.

One of the panels returned its verdict today against Chong Vue, 32. A separate jury convicted his brother Gary Vue, 30, on Friday.

Their older brother, Chu Vue, 46, a former Sacramento sheriff's deputy, was convicted in a separate trial last Sept. 29.

Chu Vue was accused of setting up the murder because the 39-year-old Lo was having an affair with the former deputy's wife.

By Sam Stanton
sstanton@sacbee.com

Sacramento County Sheriff Scott Jones will take reader questions in a live chat Tuesday on Sacbee.com/live, the first in a series of conversations between Bee readers and area law enforcement leaders in coming months.

Jones, now in his first year as sheriff, is dealing with a number of issues from the budget to the realignment process that transfers responsibility for hundreds of offenders from the prison system to county oversight starting Saturday.

The sheriff will take your questions on those issues and crime concerns starting at 11 a.m. Tuesday. Readers can also submit questions for him in advance through the comments on this Sacto 9-1-1 blog post.

A Sacramento woman has been sentenced to two years in prison after pleading no contest to grand theft charges.

Linda Marie Wells, 50, was sentenced Wednesday by Sacramento County Superior Court Judge Gary Ransom.

Wells was employed as an office manager by Norwood and Associates, a lobbying firm. From 2004 through August 2010, she increased her salary by more than $95,000, according to a Sacramento County District Attorney's Office news release.

A tussle over bread and beer at a Sacramento supermarket ended with an arrest.

Sacramento police were called to market in the 5000 block of Franklin Boulevard shortly before 1 p.m. Wednesday where they found James Young, 22, and store employees. Police were told that Young entered the store and concealed beers in the pockets of his cargo pants, according to a police activity log.

When he approached the register to pay for a loaf of bread, a clerk confronted him regarding the beer, police said. Young then punched the clerk in the face, according to police.

Sacramento police said a 17-year-old was shot in the abdomen on Wednesday on a Meadowview street.

The teen was walking north on Amherst Street near Meadowview Road around 4:30 p.m. Wednesday when a large blue American sedan stopped near him and shots rang out.

The young man realized he had been shot in the abdomen and the vehicle then drove away. The victim called a friend who drove him to a hospital where he was treated for a non life-threatening wound.

One man is dead and five others are under arrest following a Tuesday night shootout at the site of a commercial marijuana growing operation in rural Amador County.

The Amador County Sheriff's Office received a call at 9:10 p.m. Tuesday from a resident on Carbondale Road who reported hearing several gunshots. At 9:18, a second caller reported hearing 15 to 20 gunshots. One of the callers reported seeing a white full-sized extra cab truck and dark-colored sport utility vehicle leaving the property where the gunshots originated.

Deputies spotted the two vehicles traveling southwest on Carbondale Road. The vehicles took off at high speeds when occupants spotted patrol cars. Deputies lost sight of the white truck as it turned onto Michigan Lone Bar Road but overtook the second vehicle, a green Expedition.

The Davis Police Department is seeking the public's help in identifying a man in a surveillance video collected the afternoon before two suspects attempted to steal a Target Store's ATM last May.

At 3 a.m. May 22, two men drove a Dodge pickup through the glass doors of a Davis Target, attached a cable to the ATM and attempted to drag it out of the building.

The suspects were unable to dislodge the machine and fled the scene, leaving behind the truck that was later found to have been stolen from a landfill north of Sacramento. Damage to the store cost more than $100,000 in repairs.

The California Highway Patrol reports that a two-year, federally funded program to increase motorists' awareness of motorcyclists on California roadways appears to have paid off with a decline in the number of collisions involving motorcycles.

Preliminary figures for 2010 from the CHP's Statewide Integrated Traffic Records system show that the number of people killed in motorcycle-involved collisions last year was down 9 percent from the previous year, according to a CHP news release. The number of people injured in motorcycle-involved collisions appears to be down 8.5 percent.

Throughout the campaign, the CHP has emphasized the "Share the Road" message. To help convey that message to the motoring public, officials said, the CHP held several presentations and conducted several highly publicized motorcycle safety enforcement operations.

By Stephen Magagnini
smagagnini@sacbee.com

The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency today announced the arrest of more than 2,900 people alleged to be convicted criminal aliens, including more than 186 in the Bay Area and Northern California.

The week-long raids across the country reflect ICE's continued focus "on the arrest and removal of convicted criminal aliens that threaten the public safety of our communities here in Northern California," said Timothy Aitken, field office director for ICE's Enforcement and Removal Operations in San Francisco.

Most of the Northern California arrests took place in Santa Clara County, where 35 people were arrested; 23 in Alameda County; and 21 in Fresno County. The rest occurred in Contra Costa, Kern, Madera, Marin, Monterey, Sacramento, San Mateo, Sonoma, Tulare, Santa Cruz and San Joaquin, Butte, Lake, Madera, Mendocino, Napa, Placer, Solano, Stanislaus and Sutter counties.

Utility officials pledged to find the cause of a natural gas fire in the street that forced the closure of the Cirby-Way-Riverside Avenue intersection in Roseville.

The fire has been extinguished but the investigation into what caused the flames to lick through cracks in the roadway still has to be undertaken.

"We are committed to doing a thorough investigation into how and why this fire took place," said PG&E spokeswoman Nicole Liebelt. "Because the investigation has not yet begun, a cause has not been determined."

An autopsy of a man shot by sheriff's deputies Saturday in Pine Grove revealed that he had numerous self-inflicted stab wounds, including one that would have been fatal, according to the Amador County Sheriff's Department.

The man, who appeared at a neighbor's house shortly before 6 p.m. Saturday covered with blood, was identified as Gaylord Neil Story, 59.

Story was shot by deputies after he tried to attack them with a large knife, officials said. The forensic examination of Story was conducted by the Sacramento County Coroner's Office.

The wildfire near Ruth, Calif., that started around noon Friday was 80 percent contained as of midday today according to the National Forest Service.

The fire spanned 1,515 acres over Six Rivers and Shasta-Trinity National Forests, requiring 717 fire personnel to address the incident. The cause of the fire, which started in low grass and brush, is still under investigation.

An evacuation order required Ruth residents to leave their homes until the order was lifted 9 a.m. Monday, but County Roads 501 and 504 are still closed, and an emergency forest closure is still in effect at the South Fork Mountain area.

The fire spread slowly because of the recent rainfall. The National Forest Service expects the fire to be fully contained by noon Wednesday.

Sacramento Superior Court Judge Laurie Earl has been voted in as the new presiding judge of the local bench.

Earl will begin her two-year term on Jan. 1, replacing the outgoing Presiding Judge Steve White.

Earl was appointed as a judge in 2005 by former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. She formerly worked as a senior assistant inspector general overseeing state prisons. She also is a former deputy district attorney and assistant public defender. She received her law degree in 1988 from Lincoln Law School in Sacramento.

By Denny Walsh
dwalsh@sacbee.com

The Sacramento office of a private protection firm is accused in a lawsuit filed today of discriminating against older males by favoring younger females for armed security positions.

The suit, filed by attorneys with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, alleges that, in February 2008, Trinity Protection Services' Sacramento office discharged four men and three women because of their scores on an arms re-qualification shoot.

It was with mixed feelings of pride and loss that George Smith learned that his son was awarded a Carnegie medal for extraordinary heroism.

It became official Tuesday that his son Nathan was the recipient of the honor. He was one of two residents of the Sacramento region who were awarded Carnegie medals for extraordinary acts of heroism.

One award went to Cameron C. Gilbert, a resident of Cool, for pushing away an attacker who stabbed another student at Sierra College. The other medal was awarded posthumously to Nathan N. Smith of Citrus Heights, who died trying to save his brother, Noel B. Smith, who also died, after falling through an ice-covered lake in Shasta County.

A woman who died early this morning in a single-vehicle crash on Interstate 80 in Davis has been identified by the Yolo County Coroner's Office as Heather Sieren, 43, of Sonoma.

Chief Deputy Coroner Robert LaBrash said the cause of death has not been determined pending an autopsy. Excessive speed and alcohol are suspected causes of the crash, according to the California Highway Patrol.

The CHP said that about 12:20 a.m., a car speeding in a reckless manner eastbound on I-80 east of Richards Boulevard attempted to change lanes but struck the center divider. The driver then lost control, traveled back across three lanes of traffic and onto the shoulder of the road. At that point, the vehicle overturned and the roof of the 2004 Subaru struck a tree.

Sieren died at the scene of the crash. The CHP reported that she did not appear to be wearing a seatbelt.

Bee staff writer Cathy Locke contributed to this report.

Sacramento police homicide detectives have been summoned to investigate a death initially thought to be a suicide.

Police were hailed by a person outside an apartment complex near Eleanor and Altos avenues in the Hagginwood neighborhood shortly before 3 a.m. The man told police he had found his friend dead inside the friend's upstairs apartment.

Initially it appeared to police that he took his own life. However, further investigation of circumstances leading up to his death were suspicious, said Police Sgt. Norm Leong.

A Sacramento County jury has found Luis Hurtado guilty of attempting to murder his estranged wife.

The jury convicted Hurtado, 34, of first-degree attempted murder, inflicting corporal injury on his spouse resulting in a traumatic condition, and aggravated mayhem, according to a Sacramento County District Attorney's Office news release. The jury also found true allegations of inflicting great bodily injury involving domestic violence and use of a deadly weapon.

Hurtado and his wife had been separated for four years when, in December 2010, Hurtado was visiting his 6-year-old daughter at his estranged wife's apartments. He began to accuse his wife of having a sexual relationship with another man. Hurtado's wife told him to leave her apartment, but he refused, officials said.

Two Sacramento man have been arrested in connection with Sunday's armed robbery at a Woodland recycling center.

Woodland police, assisted by the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department and Sacramento Police Department, served search warrants today that resulted in the arrests of Jose Villegas, 24, and Marlon Chavarin, 23.

Chavarin is suspected of robbing Solorzano Recycle in the 300 block of West Main Street about 11 a.m. Sunday, according to a Woodland Police Department news release. Villegas is accused of being the get-away driver.

The Yuba County Sheriff's Department is investigating a report of a possible shooting Saturday night in Olivehurst.

Deputies responded to the 1800 block of 11th Avenue just before 8 p.m. after receiving calls about a shooting. When they arrived, deputies were unable to locate anyone involved in the incident. They spoke to several witnesses, however, who reported an argument between a pedestrian and occupants of a passing vehicle. The confrontation led to a possible exchange of gunfire, according to a Sheriff's Department news release.

Witnesses told deputies that the vehicle drove away from the area, but they were unsure where the pedestrian went.

By Ed Fletcher and Bee Metro Staff
efletcher@sacbee.com

Highway 65 reopened about 6:30 p.m. after a semi truck filled with grocery products overturned in Lincoln early this afternoon. The cleanup took hours and blocked traffic in both directions.

City officials said the cleanup took longer than anticipated because grocery items had to be manually unloaded to upright the truck.

The highway was closed during afternoon commute hours and motorists were advised to avoid the area.

During the closure, northbound traffic was required to exit Highway 65 at Twelve Bridges Drive and southbound traffic exited at Sterling Parkway.

"We have messy traffic here for a while," Jill Thompson, a spokeswoman for the city, said shortly after the spill.

Bee staff writers Cathy Locke and Melody Gutierrez contributed to this report.

PHOTO: Drivers were advised to avoid Highway 65 through Lincoln after a semi-truck overturned Monday, September 26, 2011. Special to Sacbee.com: Jill Thompson, Public Information Officer, City of Lincoln

A prosecutor raised a financial motive today in the murder trial of a man who is accused of stabbing his mother and father to death three years ago in their Sacramento home.

Matthew David Riley, 33, had been facing eviction from his apartment in Auburn, Deputy District Attorney Chris Ore told a Sacramento Superior Court jury in his opening statement. Riley's parents, Steven and LInda Riley, had told friends and co-workers that they did not want him to move in with them, Ore said. The two also had updated a will and trust in which the defendant was named as a beneficiary, according to the prosecutor.

Steve Riley, 54, and Linda Riley, 53, each were stabbed 19 times, police said. Ore said investigators obtained a virtual match between Matthew Riley's footprints and those that forensic investigators lifted from his parents home on Paddle Wheel Court, just off Garden Highway in the South Natomas area.

Riley's attorney, Assistant Public Defender David Lynch, declared in his opening statement that his client was innocent. Lynch said the prosecution's case mostly consists of matters that "could have" taken place, but with no definitive proof that they did.

Lynch said Riley's mother was "fine" with him moving back in with them.

The Sacramento County sheriff's department reports that a missing elderly man who they said suffers from dementia was located this morning.

Lyle Clarkson, 88, has been safely returned to his home. Clarkson had last been seen at 7:30 p.m. Sunday. He was reported missing from his home in the 5700 block of Verde Cruz Way, near Madison and Manzanita avenues.

He was considered at-risk due to his age and mental condition, deputies said

A boy who had his bike taken at gunpoint got it back when his mother confronted the thief.

The boy had his bike taken in the South Area about 5:30 p.m. Sunday by the armed robber. The robber rode off westbound on Mack Road and the boy called his parents.

His parents found the suspect near Mack Road and Franklin Boulevard. That's when the mother yelled at the suspect to give the bike back.

Sacramento County residents are invited to meet Sheriff Scott Jones tonight in Orangevale.

Residents who go to the Orangevale Community Center, 6826 Hazel Ave., can speak with Jones on a one-on-one basis as time permits. The "Sheriff's Chat" is scheduled from 5 to 7 p.m.

The public is invited to ask questions or explore concerns regarding the sheriff's department and the communities it services.

A robber hit a recycling employee in the nose with his gun in Woodland on Sunday.

Jose Hernandes, 36, was working at Solorzano Recycle in the 300 block of West Main Street about 11 a.m. Sunday when a robber with a black, semi-automatic handgun stuck up the place.

Cash was handed over to the robber, police said. Also, the butt of the weapon was used to hit Hernandes in the nose, leaving him with a minor injury requiring first-aid.

The robber fled northbound on foot.

By Bill Lindelof and Cathy Locke
blindelof@sacbee.com

A man who died in a crash Sunday night after leading California Highway Patrol officers on a high-speed chase in the Elk Grove area has been identified by the Sacramento County Coroner's Office as Jose Roberto Sanchez, 35, of Sacramento.

Sanchez died at 9:20 p.m. when the Toyota Tundra pickup he was driving southbound on Grant Line Road collided nearly head-on with a Ford pickup just south of Bond Road. The driver of the Ford pickup was hospitalized with major injuries.

CHP spokesman Officer Michael Bradley said the pursuit began about 9:10 p.m. Sunday when a man, later identified as Sanchez, was spotted by a paramedic team driving the Toyota southbound near 47th Avenue on Highway 99. The ambulance crew reported that the truck was weaving and could be driven by a drunken driver, Bradley said.

A Nevada County man killed in a standoff by a member of the Sheriff's Department SWAT team has been identified as John Salazar, 53, a parolee with prior felony convictions on drug, weapons and assault charges, law enforcement officials said today.

The episode began as a domestic violence call about 12:30 p.m. Saturday three miles east of Lake of the Pines, Sheriff's Capt. Jeff Powell said.

After several hours of being unable to establish communication with the suspect, Powell said he gave the order for the SWAT team to enter the home at 3:30 p.m.

By Ed Fletcher

efletcher@sacbee.com

A standoff in Nevada County ended with a member of the sheriff's department SWAT team killing a 53-year-old male suspect.

The incident began as a domestic violence call to a home three miles east of Lake of the Pines at 12:30 p.m., said Capt. Jeff Powell.

Deputies said the man had a knife to his girlfriend's throat when they entered the home, Powell said.

"He said if the officers advanced any closer he would kill her," Powell said.

After several hours of being unable to establish communication with the suspect, Powell said he gave the order for the SWAT team to enter the home at 5:15 p.m.

The suspect was killed and the women, who was bruised and battered, was transported to an area hospital, Powell said.

"We could not communicate with this guy and we were concerned about her safety," Powell said. "You never feel good about taking someone's life. I felt that this woman was in serious danger."

He said the suspect was a felon with prior convictions on drug and weapons charges.

Call The Bee's Ed Fletcher, (916) 321-1269.

The California Highway Patrol will be operating a DUI checkpoint tonight in south Sacramento.

The checkpoint at 47th Avenue and Steiner drive is expected to be operational at 9 p.m., according to the CHP. The checkpoint will close at 2 a.m.

By Carlos Alcalá
calcala@sacbee.com

A Sacramento Police Department patrol car crashed into the side of a house at the end of a vehicle pursuit earlier today.

No injuries were reported.

By Carlos Alcalá
calcala@sacbee.com

Sacramento police have identified the man captured after a vehicle chase Friday as John Knapp, 37.

The chase was initiated around 8 a.m. Friday, when officers spotted a stolen vehicle in Del Paso Heights.

By Carlos Alcalá
calcala@sacbee.com

Redding police have arrested three, including two juveniles, in connection with a string of crimes that came to an end with a stolen vehicle chase Thursday.

The incidents connected to the suspects began Aug. 2, when police interviewed a cab driver who was lured from his cab and attacked with tree stakes, according to a police press release.

By Matt Weiser
mweiser@sacbee.com

Roseville police today searched a home in Lincoln as part of their investigation into the killing of a local businessman in May.

Christopher Dale Northam, 44, was shot and killed May 30 at the warehouse in Roseville where he was about to open an innovative new business: indoor skim-boarding. Northam had at least one gunshot wound in the head.

On Friday, homicide investigators from the Roseville Police Department served a search warrant at a home on China Rose Court in Lincoln. Lt. Mark Toupin declined to detail how investigators suspect the home is connected to the case.

"I'm not going to go into the reason for the warrant," Toupin said.

At the time of his death, Northam was reportedly negotiating with a major investor in Dubai who was interested in helping launch and expand the business. Dubbed Skim X, the venture aimed to combine skim-boarding and skateboarding in an indoor water park. Northam was a partner in the business with his son, Christopher J. Northam.

Northam had received death threats shortly before his killing, his uncle told The Bee in June, but considered the threats insignificant and did not report them to police.

Roseville police are still seeking the public's help in solving the murder. Anyone with tips to offer is urged to call the department at (916) 774-5000 or (916) 783-7867.

By Ed Fletcher
efletcher@sacbee.com

Roseville police say parents and children should be on alert for a suspicious man approaching children near local schools.

Over the past few days, the department has received reports of man offering a child a ride or trying to get a child to approach his vehicle. Three of the incidents were reported in the West Park area near Junction Elementary School. A fourth incident was reported near Thomas Jefferson School on Central Park Drive, according to a
Roseville Police Department news release.

"We are taking it seriously," said Dee Dee Gunther, department spokeswoman. "But we really don't know at this point whether these sightings are related or not. We are just asking people to be alert."

A repeat child molester convicted last month of trying to "groom" new victims was sentenced Friday to 125 years to life.

Robert Precobb, 56, was out of prison less than a week when he began smoking dope and drinking beer with teenagers, including a 14-year-old he invited to his hotel.

Precobb was convicted of one count of annoying or molesting a minor and four more counts of furnishing marijuana to minors. All five charges each carried 25-year-to-life terms.

By Andy Furillo

afurillo@sacbee.com

A man and a woman convicted in a 2004 robbery and murder in South Natomas have been sentenced to state prison to life terms with no chance of parole.

Sacramento Superior Court Judge Allen H. Sumner imposed the sentences Thursday on Robert Lee Hammons Jr., 26, and Christina Marie Martinez, also 26.

They were convicted Aug. 15 for the July 2, 2004, beating death of Clayton Skinner, 37.

A police chase of a stolen car suspect was punctuated by a homeowner firing at the fleeing man, police said.

Sacramento police said about 10 a.m. today one of their officers pursued the suspect from Sacramento to the vicinity of Auburn Boulevard and the Capital City Freeway. Near there, the suspect exited the vehicle, a pickup truck, and began to run through the neighborhood.

An American flag belonging to a Vietnam veteran was splattered with a black fluid this week in Placer County.

Lonnie Brooks, 64, said on Wednesday he found that the large flag had been desecrated with a black substance.

The Elk Grove Police Department reported this morning that a man with dementia who had been missing has been found.

Jafar Musheer, 65, had last been seen in front of his residence in the 5300 block of Deepdale Way at 4 p.m. Thursday, according to police.

By Denny Walsh
dwalsh@sacbee.com

Two U.S. Postal Service employees were indicted Thursday by a federal grand jury in Sacramento on charges of stealing AT&T iPhones mailed to buyers.

Angel Pantoja-Lopez of North Highlands and Saravy Yem of Stockton worked at the Postal Service's Sacramento Processing and Distribution Center in West Sacramento, where they sorted and processed mail. They were hired in December 2006.

According to court documents, they opened parcels containing iPhones, hid the phones in their clothing, and deposited the empty parcels into various receptacles in the workplace. Investigators collected approximately 300 empty AT&T iPhone parcels at the facility, the documents say.

By Ed Fletcher
efletcher@sacbee.com

The Sacramento Sheriff's Department identified the suspect in a Thursday afternoon stabbing arrest as Eric Jones, 40, of Sacramento.

Jones allegedly stabbed a 32-year-old man employed at Clothing Brokers, 7247 East Parkway, multiple times to the chest, arms and legs. His injuries are not believed to be life-threatening. Jones was arrested on suspicion of felony assault with a deadly weapon.

Deputies had no problem apprehending the male suspect.

"He was sitting in front of the store when officers arrived," Ramos said.

Ramos said a female suspect, who was seen running from the scene with a knife, was detained, but its unclear whether she will also face charges.

The victim was rushed to Kaiser Permanente's South Sacramento Medical Center shortly after the 4:15 p.m. incident, said Deputy Jason Ramos, Sheriff's Department spokesman.

By Andy Furillo
afurillo@sacbee.com

An Elk Grove woman who stole more than 29,000 identifies from Kaiser Permanente employees and ran up bills of more than $1 million on their accounts was sentenced today to 12 years and four months in state prison.

Mia Garza (photo right), 31, obtained the names through her clerk's position with the Service Employees International Union, officials said. Garza had first been arrested in San Ramon, but she bailed out and was placed on electronic monitoring before she went on another spending spree that resulted in her arrest in Elk Grove -- while she was about to undergo liposuction surgery on a credit card account she had fraudulently opened, according to court officials.

By Diana Lambert
dlambert@sacbee.com

Kongmong Xiong, a special needs child who walked away from an Elk Grove school this morning, has been found, according to Elk Grove Unified Officials.

Kongmong Xiong was in class this morning about 8:45 a.m. at Joseph Kerr Middle School when a disturbance involving another student distracted the adults for a short time and apparently caused him to leave.

School officials were concerned because Xiong has a limited ability to communicate. They called police who issued a missing persons alert to the media.

The manager of Strikes bowling alley- seven miles from the school - found the 13-year-old in the video arcade and called the school district, according to Elizabeth Graswich, district spokeswoman.

A man was found wounded by gunfire last night at Folsom Lake's Granite Bay.

State parks officials and Placer County deputies responded to a 911 call of a shooting victim at Granite Bay about 8 p.m. Investigators today are still trying to determine where the shooting exactly occurred at Granite Bay.

The man, wounded in the abdomen, was transported to a hospital. Rich Preston, acting sector superintendent for Folsom Lake, said the wound did not appear to be life-threatening.

By Sam Stanton
sstanton@sacbee.com

Kidnap victim Jaycee Lee Dugard has filed a claim against the U.S. government over failings by federal parole agents to detect her presence in the home of sex offender Phillip Garrido from 1991 through 1999, according to her publicist.

Dugard, kidnapped by Garrido in 1991 when she was 11, already has won a $20 million settlement from the state for failings by California parole agents who supervised Garrido from 1999 until she was discovered alive two years ago and freed.

Now, her publicist says she has filed a claim seeking payment for the period during which federal parole agents were supposed to be supervising Garrido at his Antioch-area home.

Homicide detectives are investigating the death of a man in the back yard of a Del Paso Heights home.

Officers responded about 3 a.m. this morning to a report of a man who had been shot at a house in the 600 block of Morey Avenue. When they responded to the house, they found a man dead with "upper body trauma," according to police spokeswoman Officer Laura Peck.

The man was identified as Vue Cheng, 29.

Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District personnel have contained an outbuilding fire Wednesday evening at Florin Road and South Watt Avenue.

The department received a call at 6:03 p.m. saying that a fire was blazing in the 1000-square-foot outbuilding and had spread into a half-acre of surrounding wildlands.

The building and wildland fires were contained within 27 minutes of arriving on scene, and the department is continuing to break up and extinguish a trash fire on scene, according to fire district officials.

An eyewitness reported seeing a van drive away from the scene. An arson investigator is on scene, but Assistant Chief Chris Holman said the driver of the van is considered a person of interest, not a suspect.

A 14-year-old boy is in critical condition and undergoing surgery at a local hospital after he was hit by a car while riding his bike at 3:25 p.m. near Laguna Springs Drive and Civic Center Drive in Elk Grove.

Elk Grove Police spokesman Officer Christopher Trim said the boy was wearing a helmet and was likely riding his bike home from school.

The injured teen is a freshman at Cosumnes Oak High School, district officials said.

Trim said the driver of a black Lincoln Navigator is being cooperative and the collision is under investigation.

The Sacramento County district attorney announced today that a Sacramento-area man was convicted of child molestation.

Cortez Sullivan, 42, molested a 5-year-old whose family were acquaintances of Sullivan at a family gathering in January 2010.

Sullivan's sentencing will be held on Oct. 28.

The Sacramento County district attorney announced today that a Sacramento-area woman was sentenced to two years in prison for grand theft against a statewide program that provides services to the blind, disabled and elderly.

Elizabeth Garcia, 28, pled no contest to having stolen $28,831 from the In Home Supportive Services (IHSS) program, which provides services or funding to income-eligible people who cannot remain in their home without assistance. After qualifying for the program, recipients may elect a relative or a friend to perform the services they require.

Garcia enrolled her mother without her knowledge or necessity and forged her mother's signature on the time sheets to claim payment from IHSS for services she didn't provide.

Elk Grove Police arrested a teenager today on suspicion of using an ax to kill his father in the 9500 block of Emerald Park Drive.

Police say they arrived at the scene Tuesday evening and found Darrell DeWitt, 44, in the rear bedroom of an apartment with several stab wounds to the upper torso. Dewitt was pronounced dead at the scene. His 19-year-old son, also named Darrell Dewitt, was inside the residence suffering from stab wounds to the upper torso.

The younger Dewitt was transported to a nearby hospital with non life-threatening injuries.

Roseville Police arrested two men Tuesday who are suspected of committing recent residential burglaries in west Roseville on Woodhaven Circle, Road Runner Drive and Waterford Glen Circle.

Several residents in the Crocker Ranch neighborhood called police to report suspicious people knocking on doors. When someone answered the door, the two men told residents they were looking for a lost dog.

A residential burglary was later reported at Woodhaven Circle, which is in the same area.

An airplane crashed on departure from the Truckee-Tahoe Airport this morning.

The twin-engine Piper Aztec aircraft crashed about 9:20 a.m. and burned on the airport grounds, according to Ian Gregor, spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration. The crash occurred under "unknown circumstances," according to Gregor.

The pilot, the only person on board, was airlifted to a Reno hospital, according to the Nevada County Sheriff's Department. The registered owner of the aircraft is a Bakersfield man, according to an FAA registry.

The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the crash. NTSB is the lead investigative agency.

PHOTO: Firefighters rush to the scene of a small airplane that crashed shortly after takeoff in Truckee today.

CREDIT: AP Photo/Tahoe Quarterly, Matt Palmer

Police recovered a large amount of stolen property this morning after arresting a pair suspected in several residential burglaries over the past year in Roseville and surrounding areas.

Breanne Lee Rasmussen, 25, and Stephan Makarov, 26, both of Sacramento, were arrested on suspicion of burglary, possession of stolen property, conspiracy, and possession of heroin.

Both are in custody in the Placer County Jail.

A Sacramento Superior Court jury convicted a one-time gay porn star Tuesday of attempted murder for smashing his girlfriend over the head with a toilet tank lid.

Marc Anthony Donais, 47, known in his x-rated movies as Ryan Idol, was taken into custody and held without bail after his conviction for the Sept. 5, 2009 attack in the woman's home on 48th Street in Sacramento.

According to testimony at trial, the 41-year-old woman had broken up with Donais, who claimed to be bisexual. She testified she moved out of their West Sacramento condo when he knocked on her door the night of the attack while she was taking a bath.

A student brought an unloaded gun onto a Greenhaven neighborhood school campus on Tuesday, police said.

The 9-year-old brought the gun to Sol Aureus College Preparatory School on Gloria Drive in a backpack and had shown the weapon to a classmate, police said. Staff was alerted to the presence of the gun and confiscated the weapon.

An investigation into how the student got the gun revealed that it was obtained from the home of a relative of the student. It was determined that neither the parents nor the relative were negligent, police said in an activity log.

Hundreds of feet of wire were stolen from a Fair Oaks school this morning.

Two suspects are under arrest in connection with the theft from Harry Dewey Fundamental School, 7025 Falcon Road.

The suspects were arrested at an apartment complex in the 3500 block of Mission Avenue, according to the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department. A neighbor saw the suspects unloading the copper wiring.

A custodian arriving at the school this morning discovered the wire with copper had been pulled from the multi-purpose room. The multi-purpose room was without electricity after the theft but the remainder of the campus still has power.

An estimated 400-feet of large gauge wire and 120-feet of small gauge wire was taken, according to a San Juan Unified School Distict spokesman.

Woodland police said they arrested a man who allegedly carried a knife onto an elementary school campus on Tuesday.

Officers arrived at Freeman Elementary School, 126 N. West St., at 2:53 p.m. Tuesday regarding a report of a man with a knife on campus. School had been dismissed at 2:39 p.m., but some students were still on campus for after-hour activities.

Police said they found a man, later identified as Juan Ayala Perez, 26, of Woodland, outside the school administration office. A knife was allegedly visible in his possession, poking out of his pants, police said.

Elk Grove police are investigating two stabbings, one fatal, Tuesday night in the 9500 Block of Emerald Park Drive.

One man, whom Elk Grove Police Spokesman Christopher Trim said looked to be in his 50s, was found dead about 7:50 p.m. in the back room of an apartment.

Another man, described as in his 20s, was found lying in the apartment parking lot with stab wounds to his upper body. He was transported to a nearby hospital for treatment. His injuries are not life-threatening, Trim said.

Police have not identified any suspects, but two men present when police arrived have been detained for questioning.

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Five people were injured after two vehicles collided Tuesday morning at a Foothill Farms intersection.

According to a California Highway Patrol news release, a 17-year-old boy and his 16-year-old sister were in a Jeep Cherokee heading westbound on Elkhorn Boulevard at 7:15 a.m. when the young man said he was unable to see because of the sun's glare and followed a car in front of him through the Sprig Drive intersection.

A 22-year-old Sacramento woman was driving southbound on Sprig Drive with her brother, 18, who was in the passenger seat and sister, 14, who was sitting behind the passenger seat when the Jeep collided with the right side of their Mitsubishi sedan.

After Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District personnel removed them from the sedan, the woman and her brother were taken to Mercy San Juan Medical Hospital. She suffered major injuries and her brother is listed in critical condition. Their sister was taken to UC Davis Medical Center, also with major injuries.

The Cherokee driver and his sister were taken to Sutter Roseville hospital with minor injuries.

The CHP is investigating the cause of the collision.

Testimony in the murder case against two men accused of carrying out a hit on a state correctional officer is expected to conclude Wednesday in Sacramento Superior Court.

Deputy District Attorney Eric Kindall said today he has one more witness before he rests his case against Chong Vue, 32, and Gary Vue, 30.

Defense attorneys Don Manning and Keith Staten said they also will be resting their cases Wednesday.

Closing arguments are likely to begin Thursday.

Investigators named the Vue brothers as the gunmen in the Oct. 15, 2008, shooting death of state correctional officer Steve Lo, 39.

The older brother of the defendants, Chu Vue, 46, a fired former Sacramento sheriff's deputy, was convicted last year of first-degree murder with special circumstances for arranging the shooting death of Lo in the garage of the victim's south Sacramento home.

He has since been sentenced to a life prison term with no chance of parole.

Authorities said Chu Vue wanted Lo killed because the officer was having an affair with the former deputy's wife.

The U.S. Marshals Service arrested a man in Lodi at around noon Tuesday who is suspected of robbing 11 banks in the Stockton and San Joaquin County Area since June.

Robert Davis, 54, was hiding in a house on the 2300 block of West Highway 12 when the Pacific Southwest Regional Fugitive Task Force along with the Stockton Police Department, the San Joaquin Sheriff's Office, and the U.S. Marshals Service tracked him down.

When police arrived at the location where they suspected Davis to be hiding, they surrounded the house and called Davis out of the residence. He surrendered and was taken into custody without incident. Davis is being held at the San Joaquin County Jail.

According to the U.S. Marshals Service, Davis allegedly entered the banks and slipped the tellers a note demanding cash. He is suspected of having stolen more than $15,000 while using different aliases to evade the police.

A woman who was in the house at the time of Davis' arrest was also taken into custody for outstanding warrants.

By Melody Gutierrez
mgutierrez@sacbee.com

Police are seeking the public's help to identify a suspect who seriously injured a man in what they area calling a hate crime. Sacramento Police said two men were holding hands while walking around 2 a.m. Saturday along J Street near 18th Street when a man in his 20s stopped his SUV and yelled sexual epithets at the victim and his friend.

When the victim and his friend continued to walk away, the driver got out and struck one of the men in the head with a heavy object before fleeing in the SUV.

The victim was transported to an area hospital with serious injuries.

Two Roseville brothers have been sentenced in federal court for downloading child porn.

Sam I. Coburn, 34, and Matthew J. Coburn, 27, were sentenced today by U.S. District Judge John A. Mendez to five years in prison to be followed by 10 years of supervised release. They will also be required to register as sex offenders.

The brothers pleaded guilty to receiving child pornography on June 14.

By Carlos Alcalá
calcala@sacbee.com

The arraignment of ex-Placerville mayor David Machado scheduled for today has been postponed.

Machado is now scheduled for arraignment on Oct. 18. He was arrested in August on felony charges connected with his property holdings in the city.

Machado was later removed as the city's mayor.

An El Dorado County Distict Attorney's complaint alleges Machado hid ownership of property within the city's Redevelopment Zone in violation of disclosure laws. It also said he did unpermitted work on his properties within the city and attempted, in some cases, to cover that up.

Sacramento State's acres of parking have been the site of several catalytic converter thefts this semester.

Thieves are primarily sliding under high-profile Toyota pickups and Toyota sport utility vehicles to steal the air pollution control devices. The converters, which contain valuable metals, are sold for their recycling value by thieves.

Sacramento State police provides a few tips so that converters are still attached when students return from class:

A dog door in a garage was just big enough for a burglar to squeeze through into a Roseville home.

Roseville police said that during the daylight hours on Friday a burglar went to a home in the 1600 block of Roadrunner Drive, first breaking a lock on the side gate to the backyard. The burglar then entered the garage through a large dog door before prying open the human door into the house.

Once inside the home near Junction Boulevard and Baseline Road, the burglar took video game consoles, video games, a laptop and other electronic items.

Sacramento Police arrested a man wanted for assault with a deadly weapon in Elk Grove Monday at approximately 10:30 p.m.

The suspect had locked himself in a home on the 8900 block of El Mirador Drive, said Elk Grove Police Spokesman Chris Trim.

Police took the suspect into custody on the scene. Elk Grove Police were unable to provide information regarding the suspect's alleged crimes.

By Ed Fletcher
efletcher@sacbee.com

Rocklin Police announced Monday three suspects believed to be involved in knocking out 20 city light poles are in custody.

Darrell Allen Cooper, 41, and Justin Bryan Liddell, 32, both from Roseville, were arrested Sunday by Placer County sheriff deputies. The deputies noticed the men had a large amount of copper wiring in the bed of their pickup truck and notified surrounding agencies, including the Rocklin police.

The wife of a North Highlands man had to crawl to safety after she was hit by shotgun blast allegedly fired by her husband, Sacramento County sheriff's officials said.

The 71-year-old woman, shot in the head and upper body, was transported to a local hospital. Her husband, Christopher Miears, 54, was taken into custody after a deputy returned fire at the couple's home.

Miears was booked on suspicion of attempted murder, domestic violence and battery.

A man was convicted last Tuesday by a Sacramento jury of domestic violence and child endangerment.

A press release from the office of District Attorney Jan Scully said that Hari Prasad argued with his wife in August 2008 when she refused to eat dinner with him and his brother. An angry Prasad then tossed a shelf, television and a computer around their apartment.

The couple's two-year-old daughter suffered a fractured femur as a result of the outburst, according to the press release. Prasad is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 6.

Police said a woman apparently fell to her death on Sunday from a Sacramento hotel room window.

Police were called to the Hilton Hotel, 2200 Harvard St., about 6:20 p.m. where an investigation revealed that the woman apparently squeezed out of her hotel room window on the 11th floor. She fell to her death, landing on the roof of the second floor.

A daily activity log for the Sacramento police said there was no sign of struggle and nothing to indicate foul play. The coroner responded to the scene and took over the investigation.

A Sacramento man was arrested on suspicion of masturbating in public at a food area at the Market Square next to Arden Fair Mall.

Police said Steve Youmans, 39, appeared to be using a newspaper to cover himself while masturbating on Friday about 5:30 p.m.

Sacramento police said that he also appeared to be looking at a table occupied by four juveniles. The suspect was detained by security and eventually turned over to Sacramento police.

A man who was shot near the American River bike trail on Saturday died a day later, according to the Sacramento County coroner's office.

Ahmed Ishaque, 37, was shot early Saturday near State Route 160 and Northgate Boulevard, according to Sacramento police. Officers were called to the area about 6:05 a.m. where they found the wounded Ishaque.

The victim, reported in critical condition when taken to the hospital, was described as homeless. He died Sunday at 4:46 p.m.

It was not known what led to the incident. No suspects have been identified.

Six students face arrest and a school staff member suffered a minor injury after a fight occurred this morning just before class started at Valley High School.

The fight broke out about 7:55 a.m. in the front parking lot at the school, 6300 Ehrhardt Ave., said Elizabeth Graswich, spokeswoman for the Elk Grove Unified School District. The fight involved four 16 year old and two 15 year old boys.

The fighting stemmed from an on-going dispute in the community that until this morning had not cropped up on campus. Officials did not release the cause of the dispute.

Vandals broke windows and dented nearly two dozen vehicles overnight at a Roseville used car lot.

Police were dispatched to the car sales lot in the 300 block of Riverside about 3 a.m. Sunday on a report that vandalism had just occurred. A witness said that four or five males in dark clothing were hitting cars with sticks or bats.

The suspects were last seen running north on Riverside Avenue, but police were not able to find them.

In all, police counted 21 vehicles with broken windows or dents. Police have no motive for the damage.

Investigators have ruled that an early morning fire today in an empty home in Carmichael was the result of arson, Assistant Chief Scott Cockrum of Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District said.

When firefighters responded to the fire in the 6500 block of Landis Avenue about 1 a.m., the home's porch area and its attic were well involved with fire, Cockrum said.

Cockrum said investigators found that the fire was started on the porch and that a flammable liquid was used. He said no one was at home during the fire.

A motorist was severely injured early today in a single-car crash after his Honda hit a raised center median on East Gibson Road in Woodland and then struck a large oak tree before crossing traffic lanes to stop on a sidewalk, police said.

Alcohol may have played a role in the crash, which occurred shortly before 2 a.m. in the eastbound lanes of East Gibson between Matmor Road and Washington Drive, Woodland Police spokesman Sgt. Don Beal reported. East Gibson Road was closed for more than two hours during the subsequent the investigation.

The identity of the driver was not immediately available. Beal said the motorist was unconscious and bleeding and had what appeared to be life-threatening injuries. He was taken by ambulance to UC Davis Medical Center.

By Phillip Reese
preese@sacbee.com

Davis police have arrested and charged a man with committing a hate crime after he allegedly beat and kicked a woman because of her Russian heritage.

Police say Peter Lloyd Zuniga, 25, of Davis, walked into the Quick Shop Market at 1964 E. Eighth St. about 7:40 a.m. Saturday and asked the clerk for some matches. When the clerk said she didn't have any matches, Zuniga allegedly stole two lighters and left. He came back 10 minutes later, police said, and attacked the clerk, beating and kicking her in the head several times. The clerk, a 45-year-old Davis resident, suffered a broken nose and minor injuries.

Zuniga is in the Yolo County Jail on a $180,000 bail after being arrested on suspicion of robbery, felony assault and committing a hate crime. After his arrest, Zuniga also allegedly threatened to kill specific police officers, so he's also been charged with threatening public officials.

By Carlos Alcalá
calcala@sacbee.com

A Union Pacific train struck and killed a bicyclist riding along the tracks today, Redding police reported in a press release.

The man, who has not yet been identified by officials, was riding a mountain bike along the east side of the tracks just east of State Route 273, south of the Clear Creek Bridge.

By Carlos Alcalá
calcala@sacbee.com

Coroner's officials released the name of a man who died after being shot earlier this week in Strawberry Manor.

Police responded around midnight - late Wednesday or early Thursday - to the area near Ford Road and Mabel Street.

By Carlos Alcalá
calcala@sacbee.com

Police are looking for suspects in an assault in midtown Sacramento early today.

Two men were walking near J and 18th streets at around 2 a.m. when a subject in a passing car yelled biased epithets, according to the police activity log.

By Carlos Alcalá
calcala@sacbee.com

Sacramento police have arrested a man who started a small fire inside a police station Friday evening.

The man is also suspected of holding up a nearby gas station just before the arson incident.

By Carlos Alcalá
calcala@sacbee.com

A Sacramento police officer arrested a woman carrying a plant with its roots exposed in the pre-dawn hours today, after it was determined that she took it from a nearby school.

Police confronted the woman carrying the large plant in the 4900 block of 58th Street, not far from Mark Twain Elementary School and West Campus High School.

By Carlos Alcalá
calcala@sacbee.com

Sacramento homicide detectives are investigating the shooting of a man early today near State Route 160 and Northgate Boulevard.

The victim, in critical condition at last report, was described as a transient.

By Carlos Alcalá
calcala@sacbee.com

Redding police say a robbery at a marijuana collective this week could be related to a string of others in the city.

The latest hold-up took place Thursday at about 6:45 p.m. at the Trusted Friends marijuana collective on Pine Street.

By Andy Furillo

afurillo@sacbee.com

A Sacramento Superior Court jury today convicted prisoner Roberto Grajeda Canchola Jr. of second-degree murder in the strangulation death of his cellmate seven years ago at California State Prison, Sacramento.

Canchola, now 39, was accused in the killing of Julian Joseph Barajas Jr., 27, who was in prison for the murder of the defendant's younger brother in 1993.

Judge Michael A. Savage scheduled Canchola's sentencing for Nov. 18.

A charity organization appears to be looking for money at the same time the Placer County Sheriff's Search and Rescue team is seeking donations, causing some confusion among residents, according to authorities.

As part of the Search and Rescue team's annual fundraising efforts, a telemarketing company is calling Placer County residents to ask for donations. At the same time, a group calling itself "Search and Rescue Charities," which has no affiliation with the county's Search and Rescue team, also is calling residents for money, according to a news release from the Placer County Sheriff's Department.

Sacramento police are now investigating Wednesday's suspicious death on Marysville Boulevard as a homicide, according to authorities.

Detectives believe the victim, identified by the Sacramento County Coroner's Office as 44-year-old Audie Joe Hogue, might have been killed in a case of mistaken identity, according to a Police Department news release.

Sacramento police were called to a car wash in the 3600 block of Marysville Boulevard early Wednesday morning after a man's body was discovered. The body showed signs of trauma, but police did not immediately rule it a homicide, pending test results.

Today, the coroner's office said Hogue died of blunt force injuries to the head and torso.

Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Alert at (916) 443-HELP or text in a tip to 274637 with "SACTIP" and then the information. Callers can remain anonymous and might be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000.

By Mark Glover
mglover@sacbee.com

Grand-opening ceremonies for the Sacramento Fire Department's new West Natomas Fire Station No. 43 will be held Saturday.

Festivities are set for 11 a.m. at 4201 El Centro Road.

By Cathy Locke and Mark Glover
clocke@sacbee.com

A 22-year-old Clarksburg man drowned after the car he was driving went off the road and overturned in a drainage ditch southeast of Clarksburg.

Officer Jon Kitamura of the California Highway Patrol said the crash occurred sometime between 8 p.m. Thursday and 6:30 this morning.

The driver, whose name has not been released, left his home about 8 p.m. and when he hadn't returned this morning to accompany a relative to work, family members began searching for him. They discovered a 1997 Volvo on its roof in a water-filled ditch off Z Line Road, Kitamura said. He said the driver was unable to escape from the vehicle after it overturned.

Robert LaBrash, Yolo County chief deputy coroner, said the cause of death was drowning.

By Peter Hecht
phecht@sacbee.com

Tylar Marie Witt, who as a 14-year-old girl summoned her 19-year-old boyfriend to kill her mother, says she is heartbroken Stephen Paul Colver later claimed that she was the one who fatally stabbed Joanne Witt in their El Dorado Hills home.

PHOTO GALLERY: The Colver-Witt murder trial

"When I found out that he was going to point the finger at me, the only thing I could question was ...that he told me that he was gonna love me no matter what -- forever," Witt says in an interview with the ABC's 20/20 to be broadcast Friday night. "For all eternity -- ever. And I guess that's not true anymore."

On Aug. 12, Colver, 21, was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole after a jury convicted him of first-degree murder for brutally stabbing Joanne Witt at least 20 times in June 2009 after the mother reported him to authorities for statutory rape over his relationship with her daughter.

Tylar Witt, now 16, testified against Colver at the trial and was sentenced to 15 years to life under a plea deal that could make her eligible for parole at 29.

A 57-year-old Roseville man was arrested Wednesday night after he allegedly struck a fire truck and narrowly missed a firefighter while driving drunk, according to authorities.

Thomas Rolland Michael was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence and driving with a suspended license, according to a Roseville Fire Department news release. Michael was booked into the Placer County Jail in lieu of $50,000 bail, the release states.

Firefighters were at an emergency call at 707 Sunrise Boulevard when a man drove his Mazda sedan through the parking lot, struck a parked ladder truck and narrowly missed a firefighter on foot, according to the release.

The firefighter took the driver's keys, and then held the man until police arrived.

The release states that there were no injuries and only minor damage to the ladder truck.

Elk Grove police seek the community's help in identifying two suspects involved in Monday's robbery of the California Credit Union.

At 10:26 a.m. two men entered the credit union at 4801 Laguna Blvd. and vaulted over the front counter, according to a Police Department news release. They ordered an employee to the ground and immediately began removing money from cash drawers.

The men then ordered the employee to a rear office and removed money from a safe. The men left the credit union and were last seen walking into the parking lot.

The retrial of Jennifer Ann Dalton resulted today in her conviction on second-degree murder charges in the July 13, 2009, shooting death of her husband, Craig.

Dalton, 42, was acquitted of first-degree murder earlier this year in Sacramento Superior Court. She still faces a 40-to-life sentence as a result of the second-degree verdict jurors returned today.

Judge Helena R. Gweon scheduled Dalton's sentencing for Oct. 14.

According to testimony at trial, Dalton shot and killed her husband in the garage of her home on Rainbow Falls Way in Elk Grove. She testified it was in self-defense. She said she retrieved her handgun when she heard a noise in her garage, then shot her husband when she saw him in the garage and thought "he might kill me."

The two were going through a messy breakup at the time of the shooting. Dalton, who had recently quit her job as a human relations manager, faced foreclosure of her home. She testified that she became frustrated wth Craig Dalton when he did not assist her financially to her liking.

By Dale Kasler
dkasler@sacbee.com

Five Sacramentans have been accused of running a $26 million real estate investment fraud.

A federal grand jury indicted the five in connection with an investment scam orchestrated by a company called Diversified Management Consultants Inc., or DMC. That company was an "umbrella organization" for a group of investment clubs with names like Genesis Innovations and Equishare Capital, the indictment stated.

The indictment said 180 investors were victimized by the scam. They were promised big profits, but instead their money was diverted to pay off earlier investors and to fund the defendants' "luxury lifestyle expenditures," the U.S. attorney's office said.

By Hudson Sangree
hsangree@sacbee.com

Jurors in the murder trial of Marco Antonio Topete have seen about half of a six-hour interrogation video this morning.

Prosecutors told the Yolo County Superior Court jury that the video would reveal Topete confessing to the killing of Yolo County Deputy Jose "Tony" Diaz. But as of lunchtime, the video had not revealed that.

Instead, it had shown Topete being responsive to some inquiries but uncommunicative about other lines of questioning by a sheriff's detective, a Yolo County parole agent and a Woodland police officer.

By Rick Daysog
rdaysog@sacbee.com

A federal grand jury has indicted a Folsom man for a high-tech scheme that allegedly took more than $6.5 million from 300 investors.

According to a 23-count indictment, Matthew Sarad, 38, told investors that his company Telomolecular Corp. was in the process of completing clinical trials and obtaining government approval for nanoparticle technology that could be used to eradicate cancer and treat age-related illnesses.

But federal prosecutors said Telomolecular had no completed product and that the company was not registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission as required by law.

Residents of Campus Commons awoke late Wednesday night to discover a burglar in their home.

Sacramento police were contacted at 10:39 p.m. by a resident of the 700 block of Commons Drive who said he was awakened by a noise and when he went to investigate he saw a man standing in his dining room. The intruder cursed at the resident then left with a purse belonging to a woman who lived in the home.

Officers were unable to locate a suspect, but determined that the burglar entered the home through an unlocked sliding door, according to the Police Department's daily activity log.

The suspect was described a white, about 6 feet, 2 inches tall, with unkempt short hair and wearing a bulky dark jacket.

A Sacramento Superior Court jury today convicted two reputed gang members of first-degree murder in the Memorial Day 2008 shooting death of an innocent north-side family man.

The panel found found Jose DeJesus Gonzalez, 24, guilty as the accused gunman in the May 26, 2008, shooting death of Jose Isabel Guerrero, 47. Gonzalez testified at trial that he witnessed the shooting, but he said it was a juvenile he identied as "Little Eddie" who pulled the trigger.

Co-defendant Jaime Torres, also 24, also was found guilty. Witnesses identified him as the man who confronted Guerrero the day of the killing while trying to call out his step-sons who authorities said belonged to a rival gang.

Jurors acquitted Gonzalez' younger brother, Juan Carlos Gonzalez, 23. Prosecutors identified him as the driver who transported his brother and others to and from the shooting scene at Guerrero's home on LIndley Drive in a neighborhood called "The Flats."

By Denny Walsh
dwalsh@sacbee.com

U.S. District Judge Lawrence K. Karlton on Thursday rejected the effort of Mark Christian Anderson to withdraw his plea of guilty to torching a Vallejo wine warehouse six years ago.

The arson, allegedly meant to cover up Anderson's embezzlement of wine he was storing for its owners, destroyed more than $200 million of California's best.

In denying Anderson's motion, the judge indicated the evidence that his former attorney's incompetence led to the guilty plea is weak to nonexistent.

Karlton set Dec. 6 for sentencing of Anderson, 62.

A Roseville man was identified as the motorcyclist who crashed after a police chase last night.

The California Highway Patrol said that Erick Von Schelske, 42, died at the scene on Stanford Ranch Road when his motorcycle hit a tree.

A CHP press release said that at about 10 p.m. Wednesday night an oficer saw a motorcyclist traveling at a high rate of speed on Galleria Boulevard. The officer tried to pull him over, but the motorcyclist sped away, according to the CHP.

Schelske lost control and his motorcycle struck a tree in the center divider of Stanford Ranch Road, south of Cobblestone Drive, in Rocklin. Stanford Ranch Road was closed for about 5 hours for the crash investigation.

Sacramento police are investigating an early morning shooting that left a car passenger badly injured.

Police responded around midnight to Ford Road and Mabel Street in the Strawberry Manor neighborhood. When they arrived, officers found a young man in a car who had been shot in his upper body.

Police said the man was transported to the hospital in critical condition. A police spokeswoman said the man was a passenger in the car when shots rang out as he was traveling a block away on Butterworth Avenue.

Once they got to Ford Road, the people in the car called police. It is not known who fired the shots and police have no motive for the shooting.

Elk Grove police need help in identifying a man in a Yankees baseball cap who they said held up a gas station.

Police said that the man robbed a cashier at the Chevron station, 8995 Grant Line Road, about 3:30 a.m. Monday. The robber entered the store, selected a soda and went to the register.

He then robbed the clerk of money from the register at gunpoint. The suspect was last seen making a getaway on foot in the parking lot.

A pedestrian suffered major injuries when he was struck by a car last night on Pleasant Grove Road just north of Rio Linda.

Ernesto Beltran, 64, of Pleasant Grove, was reported in critical condition last night with major injuries to his head and chest, according to a California Highway Patrol press release.

Beltran was trying to cross Pleasant Grove Road just south of Sankey Road when he was struck by a car driven by a 49-year-old motorist from Antelope at about 5:45 p.m. The roadway was closed for about 40 minutes while medical workers stabilized Beltran's condition before taking him to the hospital.

Any witnesses to the crash are asked to contact the CHP at (530) 674-5141. Alcohol was not a factor, the CHP said.

A suspect in a fatal Sept. 3 shooting in south Sacramento has been arrested in Iowa.

The Sacramento County Sheriff's Department was notified today by Des Moines Police Department officials that they had arrested Mareon Boatman, 26, on an active arrest warrant in connection with the killing of Vincent Nguyen, 23, according to a Sheriff's Department news release.

At 12:32 a.m. Sept. 3, Sacramento County sheriff's deputies responded to a report of a shooting in the 3700 block of 46th Avenue. The caller said that after hearing two gunshots, she saw a man lying on the ground in front of her residence. The victim, Nguyen, suffered two gunshot wounds, one to his upper body and one to his leg. He was transported to an area hospital, where he died.

A pedestrian who died early Tuesday morning after he was struck by at least one vehicle on Madison Avenue has been identified by the Sacramento County Coroner's Office as James Richard Hendrickson, 27, of Fair Oaks.

According to the California Highway Patrol, Hendrickson was walking at Madison Avenue and Valonia Street in Fair Oaks about 3:30 a.m. when he was struck. He died at the scene after being hit by a two-door Saturn and perhaps another vehicle.

The CHP is investigation the accident.

An Auburn man has been arrested after an adult relative reported to police that he sexually abused her as a child.

The woman, who used to live in Auburn, contacted Auburn police Tuesday and told them that she had been abused over several years by Robert Lynch, 55.

The abuse allegedly occurred over a five-year period, from 2004 to 2009, when the woman was a minor, said Detective Adam Cline. The woman told police that Lynch committed sexually lewd acts with her and had sexual intercourse with her on several occasions.

A Sacramento man has been arrested in connection with the burglary of a Roseville house that was listed for sale, after the victim found a water heater taken from the home advertised for sale on Craigslist.

Roseville police reported that over the weekend, an unoccupied home listed for sale in the Stonebridge area was burglarized. A new tankless water heater, still in the box, was taken from the garage along with contractor's tools.

The victim, a contractor who had been remodeling the house, searched Craigslist for the stolen property and found a tankless water heater matching the one that stolen listed for sale.

Roberto Canchola Jr. admitted to wrapping a speaker wire around Julian Joseph Barajas' neck and choking him unconscious, but he denied under oath today that he killed his California State Prison, Sacramento, cellmate.

"Ma,am, I didn't kill him," Canchola testified, under cross examination from Deputy District Attorney Roxanne Ball. "He died."

By Stephen Magagnini
smagagnini@sacbee.com

The FBI is investigating the pre-dawn arson of an Orangevale dry cleaners - which included offensive graffiti and a swastika - as a hate crime. FBI spokesman Steve Dupre said Wednesday.

The blaze, which broke out at 3:30 a.m. at the Star Dry Cleaners in a strip mall in the 9400 block of Madison Avene, was apparently started by someone who broke in through the plate glass window and ignited a gas can, Dupre said. "I think the sprinkers came on and mitigated some of the damage."

The federal ATF and the Sacramento Sheriff's Department have joined the investigation, Dupre said. The graffiti, painted in black on the wall outside the cleaners, included a swatiska and the words "f--- Arab."

It appears that a bicycling arsonist continues to set fires along the American River Parkway.

Over the weekend, about nine grass fires were set along the bike trail between River Bend Park and Haggin Park. The possible arsonist was a white male with short hair, wearing gray pants and shirt, riding a 10-speed-type bicycle.

This morning, Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District firefighters were kept busy responding to more brush and grass fires around River Bend Park. Again, a male adult was seen on a bike in the area.

A Roseville woman was knocked to the ground, hit with a soda bottle and her necklace stolen by two males who attacked her from behind.

The young woman, who was having trouble sleeping, went for a walk in the 1800 block of Eureka Road about 1 a.m. Tuesday. She was knocked down and her silver necklace ripped away.

The victim was able to run from her attackers and call police. She was treated for scratches and abrasions at the hospital.

Homicide detectives are investigating the suspicious death of a man whose body was found at a car wash in Del Paso Heights this morning.

A citizen spotted the body and telephone police about 7:10 a.m. The body, which has signs of trauma, was discovered at the small car wash near Marysville Boulevard and South Avenue.

The body was that of a white man who may have been homeless, Sacramento police said.

Woodland police said that a suspected drunken driver allegedly tried to drive away after hitting a parked pickup last night.

Police said that about 10 p.m. they were called to the 200 block of Muir Street where a car had hit a parked, unoccupied pickup. Police said that it was reported that the driver of the car had attempted to leave the scene prior to the arrival of officers.

When police arrived, they found the car was able to travel just a short distance because of damage sustained in the crash. Officers arrested Jessica Maria Chavarin, 22, on suspicion of "probable cause" involving felony drunken driving and felony hit and run, according to a department press release.

A passenger in the car driven by Chavarin was hurt and was transported to the hospital with non life-threatening injuries, police said.

The Sutter County Sheriff's Office is investigating the death of a female inmate that occurred early this morning.

About 1:16 a.m., Sutter County Jail personnel requested medical aid for a woman who was found unresponsive in a holding cell when deputies conducted a cell safety check, according to a Sheriff's Office news release. Yuba City Fire Department and Bi-County Ambulance crews responded to the jail, where the woman was pronounced dead.

Sheriff's officials said the woman was brought to the jail Sunday by Yuba City police for being under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs.

The woman's name was not released pending notification of family.

A 46-year-old Mexican national has been sentenced to 11 years and 3 months in prison for his involvement in a marijuana and methamphetamine trafficking conspiracy in El Dorado and Placer counties.

U.S. District Judge William B. Shubb on Monday sentenced Adrian Ortega-Diaz of Michoacan, Mexico, one of 12 people in a drug trafficking conspiracy that involved multiple firearms, and significant quantities of marijuana and methamphetamine, according to a federal Department of Justice news release.

According to court documents, Ortega-Diaz acted as a manager of a conspiracy to grow marijuana on public lands and to distribute marijuana and methamphetamine in Northern California. He and his co-conspirators were charged with running two marijuana grows, one in El Dorado County and one in Placer County, on public land, with each containing more than 1,600 plants. Investigators seized a number of firearms and more than 3,300 marijuana plants, plus several pounds of high-grade methamphetamine in Elk Grove and the Stanislaus County community of Denair.

Jurors began deliberations today in the Jennifer Ann Dalton murder retrial.

Dalton, now 42, is accused of second-degree murder in the July 13, 2009, shooting death of her 39-year-old husband, Craig.

The defendant testified at trial that she felt her husband might kill her when she gunned him down in the garage of her Elk Grove home.

Prosecutors had initially accused her of first-degree murder with the special-circumstance allegation of lying in wait. They said she lured her husband to his death in a killing linked to the breakup of their relationship and what she feared was the impending foreclosure of her home.

A jury in the first trial cleared her of the first-degree count but could not reach a verdict on the lesser-included offense of second-degree murder.

Robert Canchola testified today that Julian Barajas attacked him within an hour of their first prison cell encounter and tore into him two more times before he strangled his California State Prison, Sacramento, cell mate.

Canchola said he did not know going into the cell with Barajas that his new roommate had murdered his little brother in 1993. Barajas, Canchola told a Sacramento Superior Court jury, informed of the Los Angeles area gang killing.

"I'm busted for killing your brother," Canchola said Barajas told him. He described his reaction as stunned.

An Elk Grove fire caused by storing paper in a hot water heater closet has prompted a warning from firefighters.

A fire that erupted in a water heater closet in the 9100 block of Nolan Avenue on Friday was luckily extinguished by an activating sprinkler. Firefighters said cardboard boxes, papers and other combustible items had been stored in the closet.

The Cosumnes Fire Department released a reminder to keep material away from the flames of heating devices. Combustible items should be kept at least 3 feet from heat sources, the department said.

Three men were taken into custody last night on suspicion of stealing a chain from the neck of an Elk Grove man and leading police on a chase.

Booked into Sacramento County Jail on suspicion of robbery were Sarom Kuy, 23, Nary Chap, 27, and Kally Sam, 22, all of Sacramento.

Police said the incident began about 10:30 p.m. when a man in his driveway in the 9500 block of Surritt Way had a gold chain ripped from around his neck. One of the two men who confronted him had a gun.

A man suspected of taking computer tablets from a Natomas store was arrested when he returned to the scene of the crime on Monday evening.

Sacramento police said that Fernando Romo, 41, was arrested on suspicion of grand theft with priors.

Police said that they were at the Walmart, 3661 Truxel Road, Monday on a shoplifting call when store security informed them that a suspect in a Feb. 22 theft of three iPads was in the store. Officers detained the man and later determined he was the man wanted in the previous theft.

A pedestrian died when hit by at least one vehicle this morning in Fair Oaks.

The man was walking at Madison Avenue and Valonia Street about 3:30 a.m. when he was struck. He died at the scene after being hit by a two-door Saturn automobile and perhaps one other vehicle.

The California Highway Patrol is investigating the accident. The name of the pedestrian was withheld pending notification of family.

Two Carmichael fires have been determined to be unintentional.

Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District officials said investigators had not been able to rule our improperly discarded materials left on a deck as the cause of a fire at the Woodbridge Place apartment complex Sunday afternoon, but they concluded that the fire was not deliberately set. Ten apartments in the complex on El Camino Avenue near Walnut Avenue were damaged.

An investigator is trying to determine whether electrical problems may have sparked a fire at a house in the 5800 block of Gibbons Drive this afternoon but concluded that the fire was not arson.

A passerby was credited with helping an elderly woman out of her smoke-filled home in Carmichael Monday afternoon.

Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District firefighters responded to a report of a house fire in the 5800 block of Gibbons Drive about 4:30 p.m. and arrived to find an extensive fire and smoke at the rear of the house, according to a department news release. The attic also was fully involved with fire.

Crews were able to contain the fire within about 20 minutes.

A mother and daughter have pleaded no contest in Sacramento County Superior Court to committing grand theft against the In Home Supportive Services program.

Judge Lawrence Brown sentenced Aquilla Parrish, 51, to two years in prison, and her daughter, Quilla Parrish, 31, to three years in prison. Both women were ordered to pay restitution to the IHSS program, as well as the Sacramento County Department of Human Assistance. They also agreed to pay restitution on other counts which were dismissed as part of the negotiated disposition, according to a Sacramento County District Attorney's Office news release.

IHSS is a statewide program that provides services to income-eligible people who are blind, elderly or disabled, and who would be unable to remain in their homes without assistance. To qualify, recipients must be at risk for out-of-home placement due to functional disabilities. Authorized services include food shopping and preparation, cleaning, personal care needs and accompaniment to medical appointments.

By Denny Walsh
dwalsh@sabee.com

Michael Brian Taylor, 54, of Chico, was sentenced Monday in Sacramento federal court to five years in prison for robbing two banks.

He was also ordered to pay $13,054 in restitution.

Taylor pleaded guilty to ripping off an Umpqua Bank in Los Molinos and a U.S. Bank in Colusa. He entered the Umpqua Bank on March 2 and handed a teller a note reading, "Bomb at Los Molinos High....can detonate by phone...." The teller gave him $8,647.

Six days later he hit the U.S. Bank by again threatening to blow up a school or a bank. He cleared $4,857 on that occasion.

In sentencing Taylor, U.S. District Judge William B. Shubb said that, although Taylor told authorities of being an alcoholic and a gambler, he was not the only person with these addictions, but most of them don't rob banks. The judge did not give a cite for his information.

By Andy Furillo
afurillo@sacbee.com

A Sacramento Superior Court jury today rejected a mother's claim that the city was liable for the death of her daughter in an early-morning collision with a fire truck three years ago.

The panel found that the driver of the truck was negligent in the April 12, 2008, crash that killed Kirsten Helene Ross, 20. The jurors did not identify what the negligence was, but it ruled that it was not a substantial factor in the collision that also killed a 20-year-old passenger in Ross' car, Nancy Concepcion Gonzalez.

Senior Deputy City Attorney Chance L. Trimm said the city had previously settled with Gonzalez' family for $300,000.

Trimm said the city did not offer to settle the suit filed by Ross. Trimm's court papers said Ross had a blood-alcohol level of 0.125 percent in a sample taken about 20 minutes after the 2:03 a.m. accident downtown at 9th and L streets.

Bee Staff

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy will be on hand Saturday for the ribbon-cutting ceremony at the new legal studies facility at University of the Pacific's McGeorge School of Law.

University President Pamela A. Eibeck and McGeorge Dean Elizabeth Rindskopf Parker will also be a part of the 5 p.m. ceremony on the campus in Sacramento's Oak Park neighborhood, according to a McGeorge press.

The Legal Studies Center, which opened last month, was designed by Pfau Long Architecture of San Francisco, the release said. The $10 million building houses the Gordon D. Schaber Law Library. Along with a two-story glass atrium, it has study space, a new computer lab and high-tech classroom, meeting rooms, and offices.

Admission to the business-attire function is $25. For reservations, phone (916) 739-7138 or email mcgeorgeevents@pacific.edu.

The mysterious "Little Eddie" exists after all, a Sacramento police detective testified today.

Detective Jason Kirtlan said he interviewed the teen-aged boy three years ago who was identified last week by defendant Jose DeJesus Gonzalez as the real Memorial Day 2008 killer of Jose Isabel Guerrero outside the victim's north side house.

Kirtlan testified that Guerrero's daughter identified "Little Eddie" from a picture lineup as possibly being at the May 26, 2008, shooting where her father was killed. But three adult witnesses who testified during the trial said they did not recognize the photos of "Little Eddie" that detectives showed them, Kirtlan told the jury.

Credit cards stolen during a weekend holdup in Davis have since been used in a Sacramento spending spree.

Davis police said about 1:30 a.m. Sunday a silver sedan, possible a Toyota Corolla, pulled up alongside a man and a woman in their late 20s who were walking along Alice Street near J Street.

A male passenger in the car pointed a small caliber handgun at the couple and took a wallet and a backpack. The robber and his getaway driver then fled in the car.

Elk Grove police are investigating a robbery this morning at the California Community Credit Union by two suspects in camouflage clothing.

Two men held up the savings bank at 4801 Laguna Boulevard about 10:15 a.m., although it was not immediately clear if weapons were observed by witnesses.

The robbers were described as black, one 6 feet tall with a thin build and the other 5 feet 6 inches with a stocky build. They were estimated to be in their late 20s to early 30s.

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An 87-year-old man who died at a hospital Friday after being involved in a collision in Citrus Heights has been identified by Sacramento County coroner's deputies.

Philo Glen Toops of Citrus Heights was a passenger in a car that crashed at the intersection of Antelope Road and Mariposa Avenue about 7:30 a.m. A coroner's office website lists the cause of his death as undetermined.

Police said the car in which he was riding was struck at the intersection by a pickup truck. Police said one of the drivers may have run the red signal light.

Police arrested a man for a stabbing after a search through Auburn Recreation Park.

Officers were called to Auburn Folsom Road near the park about 9:30 p.m. Saturday. A man was found on the ground in the middle of the road, suffering from a stab wound.

Witnesses at the scene said the man's assailant fled into the park, prompting a search by law enforcement. An Auburn police officer eventually found Jason Vigil, 23, of Loomis in the park.

He was arrested for suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon. The victim was treated for his injuries and then released from medical care.

By Brad Branan

bbranan@sacbee.com

A dozen residents were displaced Sunday afternoon when a large fire ripped through their Carmichael apartment complex.

No injuries were reported, but many residents were visibly distraught as they watched crews from the Sacramento Metropolitan Fire Department extinguish the blaze. The American Red Cross was helping displaced families find shelter.

Sac Metro received a call about the fire on El Camino Avenue, near Walnut Avenue, shortly before 2 p.m., said Assistant Chief Scott Cockrum. The attic of the two-floor complex was engulfed in flames, along with several apartments, he said.

A 23-year-old man faces a court hearing following his arrest on suspicion of breaking into an Auburn business.

Officers who responded around 6:20 p.m. Friday to a call about a person entering a locked building found a rear door open at a business in the 300 block of Nevada Street, according to an Auburn Police news release. After an officer called out a warning about releasing a police dog inside, a man presented himself and surrendered, police said.

Officials identified the suspect as David Michael Fuchs and said he admitted breaking into the business. He was booked on a count of burglary and held on $10,000 bail at Placer County Jail.

By Carlos Alcalá
calcala@sacbee.com

Sacramento Metropolitan Fire officials are looking for a person of interest, believed to be connected to nine grass fires set along the American River Parkway today.

The fires, ranging in size from a few feet to a quarter acre, had all been extinguished before 1 p.m.

A man whose image was captured on light-rail surveillance video at the scene of a shooting at the Marconi station in 2008 has been sentenced to 77 years and 8 months to life in prison.

James Cooper, 20, was convicted by a Sacramento County jury in June of 11 felony charges, including attempted premeditated murder, assault with a deadly weapon, carjacking and robbery. He was sentenced today by Sacramento Superior Court Judge Helena Gweon.

In January 2008, Cooper, then 17 years old, carjacked and robbed an on-duty taxi driver using a sawed-off shotgun. Two days later, he carjacked and robbed a family of five using a sawed-off shotgun. Cooper took money and personal items before ordering the family to lie on the ground. He then threatened the family to prevent them from calling the police and drove away in their van, according to a Sacramento County District Attorney's Office news release.

In February 2008, Cooper was captured on Regional Transit surveillance video adjusting a sawed-off shotgun hidden underneath his sweatshirt. Minutes later Cooper exited the light-rail train and attempted to carjack two men in the parking lot using the same shotgun, officials said. When the driver of the car tried to drive away, Cooper shot at the car, hitting it twice, before the victims could get away

An Elk Grove man has pleaded guilty to producing child pornography and to possessing sexually explicit images of minors that he received via the Internet.

According to court documents, the case against Bradley Dayley, 40, began in 2009 when authorities from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children advised Elk Grove police that they had obtained images of a girl 10 to 12 years of age who they believed was being sexually molested in or around Elk Grove. The images had been transmitted via the Internet and intercepted in Europe. In the background of one of the images was a garbage can that featured the seal of the city of Elk Grove.

Through extensive investigation, Elk Grove police identified the girl, according to a federal Department of Justice news release.

A federal grand jury in Fresno has indicted a federal prison inmate for attempting to file false liens against 14 federal prison officials.

The grand jury Thursday returned a multiple-count indictment charging Denard Darnell Neal, 48, of Avondale, Ariz., with attempting to file false liens and encumbrances against federal prison officials in violation of the Court Security Act of 2007, according federal Department of Justice news release.

The indictment alleges that in April 2010, while Neal was incarcerated by the U.S. Bureau of Prisons in Atwater, he attempted to execute a scheme to file false liens and encumbrances against the real and personal property of 14 federal prison officers. As part of the scheme, Neal allegedly prepared false Uniform Commercial Code financing statements and commercial lien security agreements, purporting to make certain officers his debtors. The amounts of the false liens ranged from $5,000 to $45 million.

A woman was sexually assaulted Thursday evening by a man who picked her up in a van, according to authorities.

The 39-year-old woman was walking in the area of Orange Grove and Watt avenues when she was approached by a man in his 30s driving a van, said Sacramento County sheriff's Deputy Jason Ramos.

The woman voluntarily got into the van, but when she later tried to leave, the man would not let her, Ramos said. He drove her to the 1300 block of Silica Avenue, sexually assaulted her and then left her there, Ramos said.

The California Highway Patrol seeks the public's help locating a truck, trailer and off-highway vehicles reported stolen from an Orangevale residence Wednesday.

The vehicles belong to Bill Daniels, an assistant chief with the Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District. Daniels said he is particularly distressed about the theft of two quads that were inside the trailer and which he custom built for his son. They are 9/11 memorial quads, he said, explaining that they bear the number "343," in memory of the 343 firefighters who died at the World Trade Center following the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. He is offering a reward for return of the quads, pickup and trailer.

About 5:30 a.m. Wednesday, a red 2001 F250 extra cab pickup (left photo), displaying California license plate No. 6T76250, was parked in front of the home, with a 2007 Hallmark 16-foot white trailer in tow (center photo), displaying California license plate No. 4HY8108. Inside the enclosed trailer were two quads (right photo) and other off-highway vehicle equipment with a total value of approximately $80,000, according to a CHP news release.

A man who attacked a nurse as she was leaving her Orangevale home in December has been sentenced to 13 years in prison plus life without possibility of parole.

Joseph Sullivan, 42, was convicted in July of six felony charges, including kidnapping for extortion with bodily injury, burglary, robbery and carjacking. He was sentenced today by Sacramento County Superior Court Judge Michael P. Kenny.

The 68-year-old nurse was leaving her home to go to work in the morning when she was attacked by Sullivan, who was wearing a ski mask, according to a Sacramento County District Attorney's Office news release. Sullivan made the victim call her place of work on her cell phone to tell them she would be late, and then forced her back into her home. He made her call her bank to raise her ATM limit and turn over her PIN number. He then tied the victim to a chair and forced her to drink alcohol until she passed out.

The Sacramento Police Department will conduct a sobriety and driver's license checkpoint tonight at Fifth and L streets as part of the "Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over" campaign, an intensive crackdown on impaired driving.

The checkpoint will begin at 8 p.m. and last for five to seven hours, according to a Police Department news release. Motorists traveling through the checkpoint will be contacted by uniformed officers, who will check for alcohol- and/or drug-impaired drivers. Officers also will check to make sure all drivers have a valid driver's license.

Approximately 10,000 law enforcement agencies nationwide are participating in the campaign, which began Aug. 19. The effort is led by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which reports that in 2009 alone, 10,839 people nationwide died in crashes in which a driver or motorcycle rider had a blood alcohol level at or above the legal limit. Drivers age 21 to 24 years old had the highest percentage of alcohol-impaired-driving fatalities in motor vehicle crashes.

The passenger in a car involved in a wreck this morning in Citrus Heights has died.

The 87-year-old man died at a hospital from injuries suffered in a collision at the intersection of Antelope Road and Mariposa Avenue about 7:30 a.m. today.

Police said the car in which he was riding was struck at the intersection by a pickup truck. Police said one of the drivers may have run the red signal light.

A disabled woman suffered significant injuries Thursday evening after she was struck by a vehicle following an argument with the vehicle's driver, according to a Sacramento police report.

The victim was a passenger in a vehicle when she got into a verbal altercation with the driver of another vehicle in the area of Mack Road and Valley Hi Drive, according to the report.

When she got out of the vehicle and into her wheelchair, the driver she had fought with struck her and her wheelchair with the vehicle before fleeing, the report states.

The victim suffered significant, but not life-threatening injuries, police said.

There was no description of the driver or the vehicle available, and no arrest has been made, according to police.

Accused child molester Robert B. Adams, left, appears in court Friday morning with his attorney, Linda Parisi. He did not enter a plea. Photo by Renee C. Byer

By Sam Stanton
sstanton@sacbee.com

With his family in tears sitting behind him, accused child molester Robert B. Adams made his first court appearance this morning but did not enter a plea and his case was set to Oct. 7.

After the brief appearance, his attorney, Linda Parisi, said she was shocked and saddened that charges had been filed against the former principal of Creative Frontiers School in Citrus Heights.

Police said an intoxicated man exposed himself at a North Highlands elementary school this morning before going to a high school where he fought with a teen.

The 21-year-old man was arrested, but police declined to identify him until he was booked into Sacramento County Jail.

The first incident began about 8:15 a.m. at F.C. Joyce School, 6050 Watt Ave., where the man argued with a teacher outside in a hall. Police said he was told to leave.

A fire believed to have been started by a cigarette discarded outside a residence, caused significant damage to a Rancho Cordova home this evening.

Assistant Chief Scott Cockrum of the Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District, said firefighters were called about 6 p.m. to a house in the 2200 block of Green Blossom Court. They arrived to find the attic of the home well involved with fire.

Although firefighters were able to quickly extinguish the fire, the attic area suffered significant damage.

A Yuba City man has been sentenced to life in prison without possibility of parole for murdering his wife.

A Yolo County jury in August convicted Ignacio Favela Mendoza, 41, of first-degree murder and he was sentenced today by Yolo County Superior Court Judge David Rosenberg.

On May 26, 2007, Mendoza went to an orchard outside Zamora, approached his wife with a shotgun and demanded that she get in the car with him, according to a Yolo County District Attorney's Office news release. A fellow worker tried but was unable to calm Mendoza. When Mendoza's wife refused his demand, he fired one shot from four feet away, killing her.

By Sam Stanton and Paul Kitigaki Jr.

sstanton@sacbee.com

Robert B. Adams was released from San Juan Mercy Hospital early this evening and Citrus Heights police are taking the former school principal to the Sacramento County Jail for booking on child molestation charges.

Adams, 60, is to be booked on one misdemeanor and six felony counts and is scheduled to be arraigned in Sacramento Superior Court Friday morning.

He was arrested at his Folsom home Wednesday but complained of chest pains and had been in custody while hospitalized until tonight.

The California Highway Patrol will conduct a sobriety checkpoint and roving patrols in El Dorado County on Saturday night as part of an effort to keep impaired drivers off the road.

The checkpoint, staffed by CHP officers, will be set up about 8 p.m. and will continue throughout the evening, according to a news release. Officers will control traffic at the checkpoint to evaluate drivers' sobriety, check drivers' licenses and hand out literature warning of the dangers of drinking and driving.

CHP officers also will be assigned to roving patrols in the checkpoint area to seek out motorist who are driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

By Hudson Sangree
hsangree@sacbee.com

A father-and-son team of lawyers announced today they had filed the first lawsuit against the Creative Frontiers School and its principal Robert B. Adams on behalf of an 8-year-old former student and her mother.

Sacramento attorneys Joseph C. George and Joseph C. George, Jr., held a news conference on the steps of the Sacramento Superior courthouse.

George, Sr., said the mother was intent on filing the lawsuit for alleged negligence, fraud and sexual battery after she heard supporters defend Adams, who was known at the school as "Mr. Bob."

Sacramento police arrested a 17-year-old boy this afternoon after he brought a loaded handgun on to the American Legion High School campus, according to authorities.

The handgun was spotted in the boy's waistband and later confiscated, said police Sgt. Andrew Pettit. Nobody was injured.

The incident began when a school administrator tried to break up a group of teens loitering on campus, Pettit said. When one student "mouthed off" to the administrator, the administrator ordered him to the office, the sergeant said.

The student instead started walking away, and that's when the administrator saw the gun's handle in the student's waistband. The administrator brought the student back to the office, where a School Resource Officer met them, confiscated the gun and arrested the student, Pettit said.

A report of possible explosive device that prompted evacuation of state Workers Compensation offices early this afternoon proved to be a hoax.

Officer Lizz Dutton of the California Highway Patrol said the CHP bomb squad carried out a "render safe" procedure on a suspicious-looking package found inside the building on Promenade Circle in the Natomas area. The package contained some sort of device, but it was not a bomb, Dutton said.

The incident began about 12:30 p.m. when the Sacramento Police Department received a call from a man on a pay phone who said there was a suspicious package in the building and specified the location of the package.

An officer responded and spotted the package, which looked like a bag of chips with tape on it, Dutton said.

Between 200 and 300 employees were evacuated from the building.

Dutton said the bomb squad determined the device was not a bomb and workers were allowed to return to the building at 3:35 p.m.

A man on trial for murder in the shooting death of a father who had been holding his baby daughter denied today that he had anything to do with the killing.

Jose DeJesus Gonzalez, testifying in his own defense, put the blame on a mystery gunman he identified as "Eddie Romo Diaz."

Police and prosecutors arrested and charged eight people in what they described as the May 26, 2008, gang killing of Jose Isabel Guerrero, 47, outside his Lindley Drive home on Sacramento's north side.

None has been identified by the name Gonzalez offered.

By Kim Minugh

kminugh@sacbee.com

A 4-year-old boy is presumed to have died in a residential house fire in Pleasant Valley early this morning, according to authorities.

The El Dorado County Sheriff's Department received a call about a structure fire and people screaming just before 12:30 a.m. today, according to a news release from spokesman Lt. Bryan Golmitz.

When deputies arrived, people at the scene told them a 4-year-old boy was still inside the burning home, the release states. Firefighters extinguished the fire and found a deceased person inside the residence.

The cause of the fire is under investigation, the release states. No other information has been released.

The name of a baseball bat-wielding man who was fatally shot by a Sacramento Police officer earlier this week has been released by the Sacramento County Coroner.

He was identified as Sean Ogle, 32, of Sacramento.

Police said Ogle reportedly bashed out windows of businesses on 24th Street in the Curtis Park neighborhood.

By Sam Stanton
sstanton@sacbee.com

Robert B. Adams remains hospitalized today, one day after his arrest on charges he molested students while serving as principal at his private Citrus Heights school.

Adams, 60, complained of chest pains when police arrived at his Folsom home to arrest him on six felony counts and one misdemeanor and was taken to a hospital.

Roseville firefighters have stopped an ammonia leak from a tanker car in Roseville.

The leak was reported about 2 a.m. by Union Pacific workers who smelled the ammonia release in the JR Davis rail yard. The fire department's hazardous material experts stopped the small leak by replacing a gasket.

Although Roseville residents might have smelled the anhydrous ammonia, the concentration of the gas never increased to dangerous levels outside the railyard, firefighters said in a press release.

Photo courtesy City of Roseville.

Sacramento police arrested two burglary suspects this morning for a break-in at a trade association office in Natomas.

Officers responded to an alarm early this morning that was activated in the 4100 block of E. Commerce Way, the offices of the California Trucking Association. When police arrived, officers noticed one of the suspects fleeing from the building.

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

A second man has been arrested by the Twin Rivers Police Department in connection with the July 17 burglary and copper theft at the former Harmon Johnson Elementary School.

Ronald Schmidt, 39, of Sacramento was taken into custody Tuesday and booked into Sacramento County Jail on suspicion of burglary, grand theft and felony vandalism.

About 12:10 p.m. July 17, officers responded to the campus at 2591 Edgewater Road in North Sacramento after neighbors reported seeing two people stealing copper wire. Ronnie Scott, 29, was arrested after a brief struggle and fight with officers, but the other suspect fled and officers were unable to find him, according to a Police Department news release.

The California Highway Patrol will conduct a bicycle rodeo Sept. 17 in Rancho Cordova.

The rodeo is intended to educate the public about bicycle and pedestrian safety. Bicyclists will have an opportunity to make sure their helmets fit properly, have their bicycles inspected and test their skills on an obstacle course. Those who don't have bicycles are invited to bring their scooters.

The event is scheduled from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Rancho Cordova City Hall, 2729 Prospect Park Drive.

The CHP's Rancho Cordova Office is presenting the rodeo along with local partners and supporters including the city of Rancho Cordova, Folsom Cordova Community Partnership and the 50 Corridor Transportation Management Association. Funding for the program is provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Sacramento police are searching the Natomas area for a man who tried to lure a 10-year-old girl into his pickup truck this afternoon, according to authorities.

The girl was walking from H. Allen Hight Elementary School in the area of Kokomo and North Park drives just before 2:30 p.m. when a pickup truck pulled up, said police spokesman Sgt. Andrew Pettit.

The driver told the girl her mother had asked him to pick her up, but the girl got scared and ran, Pettit said. She went back to the school and told the principal, who notified police.

The driver was described to police as a light-skinned black man in his 30s with a shaved head, Pettit said. His truck was described as a newer, white, four-door pickup with large custom wheels and tinted windows, Pettit said.

Pettit said the principal plans to send a message to parents to alert them to the incident.

Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Alert at (916) 443-HELP.

By Denny Walsh


A man described by prosecutors as a major supplier of methamphetamine in the Sacramento area was sentenced Wednesday to 14 1/2 years in federal prison for conspiring to distribute the drug and for money laundering.

Miguel Vasquez, 39, formerly of Cameron Park, was a primary target of a long-term investigation featuring court-authorized wiretaps of telephone conversations. He was "determined to be a major source of supply of methamphetamine in the Sacramento area and to persons shipping and selling significant quantities of methamphetamine to the Midwest and Hawaii," according to U. S. Attorney Benjamin Wagner.

Vasquez forfeited to the government more than $700,000 in cash, funds from several bank accounts, two parcels of real property and two vehicles, all deemed to be part of or acquired with his ill-gotten gains.

Of the 19 defendants in the case, 16 were sentenced before Wednesday to prison terms ranging from 12 to three years. Two are awaiting sentencing.

A prisoner refused to testify today against his former cellmate who is on trial for murder in a 2004 strangulation death at California State Prison, Sacramento.

Ramiro Quiles had been the cellmate of Robert Grajeda Canchola in what is also called New Folsom Prison. Quiles then switched cells with inmate Julian Joseph Barajas Jr., prison officials said. Nine days after the Sept. 11, 2004, switch, correctional officers found Barajas body in the cell he shared with Canchola.

Prison investigators later learned that Barajas was serving a life term in prison for the fatal shooting of Canchola's brother outside a party in Southern California in 1993.

Sacramento police have arrested a 21-year-old man in connection with a fatal shooting outside a Fruitridge-area bar this weekend.

Detectives Tuesday arrested Oscar Gaspar on suspicion of murder, a Sacramento police news release shows. Gaspar was booked into the Sacramento County Main Jail early this morning and is scheduled to be arraigned Thursday, jail booking records show.

Detectives allege Gaspar fatally shot 26-year-old Jesus Garcia outside the Idle Hour bar at 6816 Fruitridge Road early Sunday morning, the news release states.

Police say the victim and suspect encountered each other outside of the bar before the shooting occurred about 1:30 a.m.

Detectives say they believe several people were in the area when the shooting occurred and ask that anyone with information call Crime Alert at (916) 443-4357. Callers can remain anonymous and might be eligible for a reward.

sstanton@sacbee.com

Citrus Heights police say they have identified seven different victims allegedly molested by Creative Frontiers School Principal Robert B. Adams over a 15-year span that ended as recently as June, and arrested him this morning on six felony counts and one misdemeanor.

Adams, 60, was arrested at his Folsom home at 7:10 a.m., Chief Christopher Boyd announced this morning, but Adams immediately complained of a "medical problem" and was taken to a hospital for treatment.

Police would not discuss the nature of the health issue, but parents were posting on the school's Facebook page that he had suffered a heart attack.

The Sacramento County District Attorney's office has decided not to file charges against the owner of a pit bull who severely mauled a 9-year-old girl last month, a spokeswoman said today.

Prosecutors found there was "insufficient evidence" to support prosecution, spokesman Shelly Orio said.

Last month, a pit bull broke loose from its owner's yard at a Meadowview condominium complex and bit 9-year-old Sabrina Carrasco, who had been outside playing with two family members.

Chevron Inc. released a statement this morning about its recent settlements with the state Attorney General's office and Sacramento County District Attorney Jan Scully, saying the company works hard to comply with laws and regulatory requirements.

"We have taken the appropriate actions to address the situations related to this issue and will work to avoid any similar occurrences in the future," spokesman Sean Comey wrote in an email to The Bee.

He went on to say, "To fully understand the situation, it is important to note that the majority of the incidents were technical violations, such as improper paperwork. None of the violations involved any risk to human health or the environment."

By Denny Walsh
dwalsh@sacbee.com

A veteran Postal Service employee pleaded guilty Tuesday in Sacramento federal court to pilfering prescription pain killers from the mail for more than a year.

Randall Paul Wessar of Wilton admitted that, between March 2010 and April, he plundered at least 30 packages containing hydrocodone (also known as Vicodin), a prescription narcotic, shipped by the Veterans Administration to patients in Sacramento.

In some instances, he acknowledged, he stole drugs from the same postal customer on multiple occasions.

By Denny Walsh
dwalsh@sacbee.com

Two crooks in a mortgage scam pleaded guilty Tuesday in Sacramento federal court to mail fraud and making false statements on loan applications.

Nicole Dawson of Oakland and Ronald Burris Jr. of Elk Grove were charged in June 2010, along with eight others, in a conspiracy involving Liberty Real Estate and Investment Co. and Liberty Mortgage Co., both owned by co-defendant Hoda Samuel.

The companies were instrumental in purchases of at least 30 homes in the Sacramento area in 2006 and 2007. The dirty deals typically had 100 percent financing based on bogus information regarding the buyers' employment, income, and intent to live in the homes.

The name of a man who died after being hit by a recreational vehicle Monday on Highway 65 has been released by the Placer County Sheriff's Department.

He was identified as Jay Roberson, 46, of Sacramento.

Details of how Roberson ended up in the traffic lanes of Highway 65 near Sunset Boulevard in Rocklin were not available.

Southbound traffic was temporarily halted while the body was removed from beneath the RV. Roberson's vehicle was found with its hood up along the side of the road.

The Sacramento Police Department is offering a free driver safety class to teenage drivers and their parents.

The Start Smart driving course is open to drivers age 15 to 19. Teen participants are required to bring a parent or guardian. The next class is scheduled from 5:30 to 8 p.m. Sept. 14 at the Police Department's Central Command Station, 300 Richards Blvd.

The course is part of an effort to keep new drivers and their passengers safe on the road. Teenage drivers rare found to be at fault in 66 percent of all fatal accidents in which they are involved, although they represent only 4 percent of the state's licensed drivers, according to a Police Department news release.

Nationally, vehicle collisions are the leading cause of death for people 15 to 20 years old.

Space in the Start Smart class is limited. To register, call (916) 808-6126.

A Sacramento man has pleaded no contest to three counts of mortgage fraud.

Under a plea agreement, Ashik Ahmed Azeez, 50, was ordered to serve 90 days in county jail and placed on three years probation, according to a Sacramento County District Attorney's Office news release. He also was ordered to pay $8,250 in restitution to the victims and is prohibited from engaging in any business activity involving real estate while on probation.

Azeez operated the businesses Turbo Mortgage Modification and Turbo Solutions, which offered mortgage loan modification services. From March to October 2010, he demanded and accepted illegal advance fees from seven victims, according to the District Attorney's Office.

By Denny Walsh
dwalsh@sacbee.com

The Shasta Union High School District has backed off its policy of mandatory random drug testing of non-athletes.

The policy, instituted three years ago, applied to all students who participate in competitive extracurricular activities. Non-athlete students were randomly chosen weekly for testing.

They were pulled from class, taken to a bathroom and required to urinate in a cup while a monitor listened outside the stall.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California sued the district - the first case of its kind in the state.

A baseball bat-wielding man was fatally shot by a Sacramento Police officer Tuesday afternoon after he reportedly bashed out windows of businesses on 24th Street in the Curtis Park neighborhood, police reported.

Police received a call about 3:30 p.m. about a man with a baseball bat smashing windows at 24th Street and Second Avenue, said Sgt. Andrew Pettit, police spokesman. He reportedly struck windows at a convenience store, an ATM at that store, then at Crepeville restaurant.

The first officer who arrived in the area, located the man at 24th Street and Barnett Avenue, according to a Police Department news release. The officer directed the man to drop the bat on the ground, but the man refused to acknowledge the officer and continued to walk northbound on 24th Street toward Broadway, police said. The officer walked parallel to the man and continued to direct him to drop the bat.

The man suddenly stopped and faced the officer, cocked the baseball bat as if he were going to swing it and advanced on the officer. The officer, fearing for his safety, fired multiple shots from his handgun, striking the man in the upper body, Pettit said.

The shooting occurred outside the River City Deli on 24th Street. Pettit said the officer and numerous witnesses said the man refused to put down the bat and advanced toward the officer, swinging the bat.

A neighborhood resident who said he witnessed the shooting disputed the Police Department's account, saying the man did put down the bat.

Tony Catelli said he heard sirens and ran to the corner. He said he saw a man kind of dancing around with a bat.

The man didn't respond to the first command by police to put down the bat, Catelli said. But after the second command, Catelli said, "He threw it down and sort of stepped back with his hands in the air."

Pettit said the officer who fired the shots has been placed on administrative leave in keeping with Police Department policy for officer-involved shootings. The officer has been with the police department for eight years.

Pettit said the Police Department's homicide, internal affairs, professional standards and crime scene investigations units are investigating the shooting in conjunction with the city's Office of Public Safety Accountability.

The Bee's Hector Amezcua contributed to this report.

Photo caption: A Sacramento Police Officer stands near the site were a man carrying a bat was fatally shot by a police officer when, according to police, he was seen breaking windows of cars and businesses at 24th Street at Second Avenue, near Broadway, in Sacramento on Tuesday, Sept. 6, 2011. Photo by Hector Amezcua

The defense rested today in the Jennifer Ann Dalton murder trial and the case is expected to go to the jury later in the week.

Deputy District Attorney Chris Ore said he plans to call at least one and possibly two rebuttal witnesses when the Sacramento Superior Court trial resumes Wednesday.

Ore spent most of Tuesday cross-examining defense expert witness Linda Barnard, a licensed marriage and family therapist. Barnard testified last week that Dalton's husband had exercised "coercive control" over the defendant, a key component in the self-defense case put on by defense attorney Linda Parisi.

The attorneys are expected to begin their closing arguments Wednesday afternoon.

Dalton, 42, is accused of second-degree murder in the July 13, 2009, shooting death of her husband, Craig Dalton, 39, in the garage of her Elk Grove home.

The Associated Press

HARTFORD, Conn. - The family of a Yale University graduate student killed in a research lab before her wedding day in 2009 is suing the school, claiming it had failed to adequately protect women on campus for years.

The wrongful death lawsuit was filed by the family of Annie Le late Tuesday afternoon in New Haven Superior Court.

The strangled body of the 24-year-old Placerville native was found at the Yale research lab on Sept. 13, 2009, the same day as her scheduled wedding and five days after she disappeared.

An animal research technician in the same building, Raymond Clark III, is serving 44 years in prison for the murder.

Yale officials say there's no basis for the lawsuit and no additional security measures could have prevented the killing.

By Kim Minugh
kminugh@sacbee.com

Sacramento County Jan Scully announced today that her office escaped two dozen layoffs as the result of two settlements in civil lawsuits against Chevron Corp., one of which her office filed in 2003.

As a result of that lawsuit, and the settlement of a parallel case filed by the state Attorney General's office, Scully's office will receive $6.5 million in settlement funds from Chevron.

That was enough money to reverse the planned layoffs of 18 attorneys and seven support staff, Scully said.

A young woman died Monday night when her car left the road for unknown reasons and hit a tree south of Folsom.

Georgina R. Kovach, 18, of Pioneer, Amador County, was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash at Scott and White Rock roads.

The California Highway Patrol responded to the scene of the accident at 11:30 p.m. Monday. A CHP investigation determined that Kovach was traveling northbound on Scott Road approaching White Rock Road when she lost control of her car.

A prosecutor said today that a prison inmate was able to "trick" his victim into becoming his cellmate so he could avenge the murder of his brother.

Inmate Robert Grajeda Canchola had befriended Julian Barajas on the yard at California State Prison, Sacramento, seven years ago to set him up for the Sept. 20, 2004, torture killing in the cell they shared, Deputy District Attorney Roxanne Ball said.

"The evidence will show this was a killing for revenge," Ball told the Sacramento Superior Court jury.

Police said a man armed with a pellet gun tried to steal money from a Roseville bank.

Police said John Lubeck, 20, of Roseville was arrested on suspicion of robbing the Bank of America, 4012 Foothills Blvd. Police said that he entered the bank just before 6 p.m. Friday and and told customers to get out.

He then allegedly pointed a gun at bank employees, police said, demanding money from cash drawers and the vault.

The first officer on scene could see through a bank window a robber armed with a handgun. The robber also saw the officer and immediately gave up, handing over a pellet gun designed to look like a Colt pistol.

A man was accosted by a robber in midtown last night.

The victim was walking at 24th and Q streets about 11:15 p.m. Monday when a robber approached him from behind. The victim could feel a gun pressed against him and heard the robber say to empty his pockets.

The victim bolted and the suspect also fled. No property was taken, Sacramento police said.

The suspect was described by police as a black man, about 5 feet 7 inches tall with wavy hair. He was wearing a black hooded sweatshirt, black sweatpants and white shoes.

A father was arrested in Nevada County after he allegedly made threats to kill his child and hurt the child's mother.

Jacob Michael Siegfried, 33, was booked into Wayne Brown Correctional Facility on suspicion of making criminal threats and violation of a court order on Monday, deputies said.

Nevada County deputies were aware of a Sunday alert that said Siegfried was wanted for suspicion of armed robbery in neighboring Placer County. Not long after learning of the BOLO -- be on the lookout in police jargon -- Nevada County authorities received a report from the mother of a three year old that stated Siegfried had failed to return their child to her after court-ordered visitation ended.

The name of a woman who was found dead after her vehicle hit a tree Monday in the Natomas area has been released by the Sacramento County Coroner's office.

The vehicle of Larisa Vasilievno Zubenko, 54, of Sacramento struck a tree while traveling north on Northborough Drive, just north of Club Center Drive.

Police said the initial coroner's inquiry suggested that a medical problem may have occurred prior to the crash. Police said the injuries didn't appear to be "obvious fatal injuries."

A coroner's website today lists her death as "undetermined."

Auburn police suspect a 35-year-old man of auto burglary and tampering with a motorcycle.

Kristopher Richard Taylor of Auburn was booked into the Placer County Jail this morning after police spotted his vehicle on Highway 49. He is suspected of tampering with a motorcycle in a parking lot in the 500 block of Nevada Street about 11 p.m. Monday.

Taylor is also suspected of breaking into a vehicle. The window of the vehicle had been smashed.

Sacramento County Coroner's officials on Monday identified the victim of a fatal Sunday morning shooting outside a Fruitridge Road bar in Sacramento's south area as 26-year-old Jesus Bentura Garcia of Sacramento.

Police arriving at the bar at the 6800 block of Fruitridge Road shortly after 1:35 a.m. Sunday said they found Garcia with multiple wounds. He was taken to an area hospital, where he later died.

The suspect is in the shooting is described as Latino, in his 20s. He drove away from the scene in a black, Chevy Impala with 20-inch shiny wheels.

By Dale Kasler
dkasler@sacbee.com

A middle-aged motorist was found dead after her vehicle hit a tree today in the Natomas area, Sacramento police said.

The 54-year-old woman struck a tree while traveling north on Northborough Drive, just north of Club Center Drive, said Sacramento watch commander Tom Sweeney.

He said the initial coroner's inquiry suggested that "maybe a medical condition preceded the collision," he said.

He said the injuries didn't appear to be "obvious fatal injuries."

The woman's identification was being withheld pending notification of relatives.

By Dale Kasler
dkasler@sacbee.com

A man was struck and killed by a recreational vehicle this afternoon on Highway 65 near Sunset Boulevard in Rocklin.

Sgt. Jeff Swearingen of the Placer County Sheriff's department said the man might have encountered trouble with his vehicle, which was found with the hood up along the side of the road.

By Marjie Lundstrom
mlundstrom@sacbee.com

A 57-year-old Davis woman who taught high school in Fairfield has died after her kayak flipped Sunday night in the American River at the Watt Avenue bridge.

The woman was identified as Joyce Tusan-Dalton. The website of Vanden High School in Fairfield identifies her as a faculty member in visual and performing arts.

By Darrell Smith
dvsmith@sacbee.com

Sacramento County Coroner's officials today identified a man who died at a Sacramento hospital after being shot early Saturday in the 3700 block of 46th Avenue.

Vincent Nguyen, 23, of Las Vegas, was pronounced dead at 6:29 a.m. Saturday, according to coroner's officials.

By Darrell Smith
dvsmith@sacbee.com

Four boaters were hurt, two seriously, on the Sacramento River at Miller Park this afternoon when their powerboat struck a wake, flipping the boat and sending the four overboard.

The incident occurred about 1 p.m., said Sacramento Fire Capt. Jonathan Burgess.

He said the boat was traveling at freeway speeds on the water when it hit the wake.

An early morning shooting outside a Fruitridge Road bar in Sacramento's south area left one man in his 20s dead today, Sacramento Police reported.

Police arriving at the bar at the 6800 block of Fruitridge Road shortly after 1:35 a.m. said they found the man with multiple wounds. He was taken to an area hospital, where he later died.

The preliminary investigation by homicide detectives and crime scene investigators showed that both the victim and the male suspect appeared to have encountered each other outside the bar where the man was shot, authorities said.

By Whitney Mountain
wmountain@sacbee.com

A pet python that underwent surgery after being bitten by a Sacramento man is "looking a ton better," Sacramento animal control officials said today.

The man who allegedly bit the female snake, 54-year-old David Elmer Senk, has been in custody in the Sacramento Jail since Thursday on $10,000 bail. Police arrested him on charges of maiming/mutilating a reptile.

Gina E. Knepp, acting animal care services manager for the city of Sacramento, said surgery that the snake received Thursday saved her life.

A Sacramento man died in the hospital Friday evening after being stabbed several times outside a motel in West Sacramento, according to police.

West Sacramento police responded to the scene at the Towne House Motel on the 900 block of West Capitol Avenue at around 6:53 to find the 29-year-old victim lying in the parking lot with several stab wounds to his upper body. Authorities have not yet released his name.

After attempting to flee the scene, the two suspects, Billy Wolfington, 28, and Shannon Silva, 30, both of West Sacramento, were found hiding in nearby bushes by police.

The two men were arrested and charged with murder and conspiracy to commit murder. They are being held without bail at the Yolo County Jail.

A Sacramento man was arrested in Woodland early Saturday morning after allegedly running his car into a power pole, rolling his vehicle, and knocking power out of a portion of Woodland.

Ralph Soto, 69, was reportedly driving under the influence when he ran in to the power pole at County Road 98 and W. Beamer Street at around 1:19 a.m, injuring a 29-year-old passenger.

PG&E arrived at the scene to handle the live wires that were down, and public works crewsclosed County Road 98 at west Kentucky Avenue and west Main Street to all but emergency vehicles. Roads were closed for about seven hours.

The passenger was taken to the UC Davis Medical Center for non-life-threatening injuries.

A man died early this morning at a Sacramento hospital after being shot twice while in the 3700 block of 46th Avenue, according to the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department.

Deputies and paramedics arrived at the scene at around 12:30 a.m. after a caller reported hearing two gunshots and seeing a man lying on the ground in front of her home.

The victim was transported by ambulance to the nearest hospital to undergo surgery for two gunshot wounds - one in the upper body and one in the leg - but died of his injuries.

The Sacramento County Coroner's Office seeks the public's help in identifying an elderly man who died May 9 of natural causes in a nursing facility in Sacramento.

The coroner was informed that the man, before his death, was under investigation by the California Department of Health Care Services for receiving health care under false declaration, grand theft and identity theft. The department began its investigation in February 2010 when it was discovered that the man had assumed the identity of Manuel Calderon of Texas.

Interviews with the man, who was said to be debilitated, were conducted in 2010 but produced little information that investigators were able to confirm, according to a Coroner's Office news release. Subsequent fingerprint comparisons revealed that he had assumed the name of Manuel Calderon sometime before 1989. From 1998 through 2011, he lived in various care facilities in Sacramento.

Sacramento police are investigating a shooting at 27th and U streets, in the city's Newton Booth neighborhood, a police spokesman said.

The victim, a male believed to be in his 30s, was shot in the upper body at least once and has been transported to a nearby hospital, said Sgt. Andrew Pettit, police spokesman. He was in surgery shortly before 10 p.m., and his condition was unknown, Pettit said.

Officers responded to the area about 8 p.m., after a woman reported that an acquaintance had been shot, Pettit said. It appeared the victim had been shot while standing at a corner of the intersection, but the circumstances of the shooting were not immediately clear, he said.

Auburn police say a man arrested as a suspect in an armed robbery at Ashford Park on Monday is also believed to have been responsible for an armed robbery of a 7-Eleven store in December.

Detectives Wednesday night spoke with Lukas Lambeth, 21, who was booked into Placer County Jail after Monday's armed robbery at Ashford Park. After speaking with Lambeth, detectives believe that Lambeth was also responsible for an armed robbery Dec. 25, 2010, at the 7-Eleven store in the 300 block of Sacramento Street in Auburn, according to a Police Department news release. The robber in that case was armed with a handgun and demanded money from the clerk, who turned over money from the cash register. Before leaving the store, the robber tied up the clerk.

Lambeth was arrested on suspicion of the December robbery and remains in custody at the Placer County Jail, with bail set at $250,000.

Sacramento County Sheriff's deputies are investigating an apparent drive-by shooting that injured a 16-year-old boy in North Highlands this afternoon, a sheriff's spokesman said.

The shooting occurred about 5:30 p.m. in the 3700 block of Myrtle Avenue, said Deputy Jason Ramos, sheriff's spokesman. Early information indicated a shot was fired from a red PT Cruiser and struck the 16-year-old in the left side, Ramos said.

His injuries were not believed to be life-threatening, Ramos said.

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

Lincoln fire and police officials credit the quick work of a dispatcher and first responders with preventing disaster after a rail tanker car filled with 30,000 gallons of propane ignited Aug. 23, prompting the evacuation of homes, businesses and City Hall in the northern part of the city.

Recordings of 911 calls, and police and fire radio traffic during the first few minutes after the fire was reported, were released Friday at a City Hall news conference.

Fire Chief Dave Whitt said the recordings reveal what the lone dispatcher, Teri Leedy, was dealing with as she sought to field 911 calls reporting the fire, while dispatching police and fire units, and summoning aid from surrounding communities.

A man convicted of the strangulation murder of a Carmichael man during a residential robbery was sentenced today to life in prison with no chance of parole.

Sacramento Superior Court Judge Steve White imposed the term on Zang Her, 30, for the Aug. 23, 2004, killing of John Lone Eagle, 65.

Investigators said Lone Eagle was a foreclosure specialist who dealt in large amounts of cash. He was slain inside his Rampart Drive home.

By Carlos Alcala
calcala@sacbee.com

An evacuation has been lifted in a small area of Del Paso Heights after an incendiary device was found and a man was taken into custody, according to Sacramento police officials.

The incident began at 9 a.m. when police were looking for a man on unspecified charges, said Sgt. Andrew Pettit, Sacramento police spokesman. The man, described as white and in his 40s, escaped from the back of a house on Altos Avenue, south of South Avenue.

In a back shed, they found what Pettit called "some kind of homemade device." The man was taken into custody.

A few nearby houses were evacuated beginning about 11 a.m. and a police bomb removal team was called. The device was taken away for disposal and the evacuation was lifted before 3 p.m., Pettit said.

Two brothers stabbed each other today in a fight at an Arden Arcade trailer park, a sheriff's department spokesman said.

Sacramento County Sheriff's deputies received a call about 11:45 a.m. regarding two brothers, both believed to be in their 40s, fighting outside the Town and Country trailer park, 3700 Morse Ave. At least one was armed with a knife.

By Carlos Alcala
calcala@sacbee.com

An unusual daytime blaze burned most of a two-story home on the corner of Cavendish Way and Glen Ivy Court in South Sacramento before noon today.

The house was more than 50 percent in flames by the time fire crews arrived, said Battalion Chief Monty Ernst of Battalion 9, Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District.

Such a strong blaze is more typical at night, he said.

Crews began with a defensive posture - primarily to contain the blaze - and it eventually drew five engines, two fire trucks, three medical units and additional fire staff.

A Sacramento Superior Court jury has convicted three men of a gang killing three years ago in the Colonial Village North neighborhood.

The jury on Tuesday convicted James Lamar Riggins Jr., who is now 21, in the Jan. 11, 2008, shooting deaths of Isidro Rivas, 18, and Rigoberto Aguirre, 22. Riggins was identified as the gunman in the 73rd Street murders.

Two more defendants were convicted today of voluntary manslaughter in the killings. They are Orlando Gabino Camacho, now 21, and Christopher Anthony Hernandez, 20.

Judge Gary S. Mullen, sitting in for Judge Lloyd G. Connelly, who presided over the trial, scheduled the sentencing for Oct. 7.

A Sacramento man has been taken into custody for allegedly taking big bites out a pet python, which was reported recovering after surgery.

David Elmer Senk, 54, was booked into Sacramento County Jail on suspicion of unlawfully maiming/mutilating a reptile. Bail was set at $10,000.

Automobile travel is expected to be up slightly this Labor Day weekend -- and the California Highway Patrol will be ready to pull over any drunken drivers.

The American Automobile Association estimates that 27.3 million people plan to travel on the nation's roadways, a 0.5 percent increase from last year. Overall, travel is expected to dip due in part to higher air fare costs.

A DUI checkpoint in Marysville found only one suspected drunk driver, but netted more than a dozen motorists for other alleged offenses.

Marysville police screened 1,165 vehicles last night for intoxicated or unlicensed drivers. One 25-year-old man from Rocklin was arrested for driving under the influence.

The California Highway Patrol is warning motorists of congestion and delays on eastbound and westbound Highway 50 in the area of Harbor Boulevard in West Sacramento because of a fatal accident.

According to the CHP website, a crash occurred about 8:55 p.m.

One vehicle overturned and the driver of that vehicle tried to run from an officer. The man reportedly jumped over the center divider and was struck by a vehicle.

The CHP's communications center reported that officers were still on scene investigating the crash and no additional information was immediately available as of late Thursday night.

The Capital City Freeway has reopened after being closed for about 30 minutes following a single-vehicle accident north of the El Camino Avenue exit.

Officer Lizz Dutton of the California Highway Patrol said a 39-year-old driver from Sacramento was southbound on the freeway, traveling in the fast lane, when his right rear tire blew out. He lost control of the vehicle and it rolled over several times.

A woman and two children were also in the vehicle.

Dutton said the driver and the female passenger were taken to UC Davis Medical Center with minor injuries. The children were not injured.

The freeway was blocked with fire and medical personnel and equipment, but traffic was reported flowing again about 7 p.m.

Sacramento City Unified School District officials are asking community members to help monitor district campuses during the Labor Day weekend.

According to a district news release, Labor Day "can be a day of busy activity for vandals, thieves and arsonists looking to take advantage of empty school campuses."

Neighbors who live near district schools are asked to keep an eye out for suspicious activity on campuses and to report it. Citizens can call the Sacramento Police Department at (916) 264-5471 about schools within the city limits, the release states.

Residents outside city boundaries should call the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department at (916) 874-5115, while the school district's Security Services Department can also be called at (916) 643-7444.

The Marysville Police Department reported that a number of DUI warrants were cleared during a DUI Task Force warrant sweep Tuesday.

Police and California Highway Patrol officers fanned out into Yuba, Sutter and Butte counties to serve warrants on individuals who violated court orders, terms of their DUI probation or failed to appear in court for their DUI arrest.

During the seven-hour operation, officers attempted service on 40 warrants. Four of the subjects were found, arrested and booked into jail, according to a Police Department news release.

Authorities have identified the human remains found in a Yolo County creek bed in April as those of Jose Luis Velasquez, a 37-year-old Colusa County man reported missing in October 2008, the Yolo County Sheriff's Office has reported.

The remains were found by hunters April 17 in a dry creek bed in the northern part of the county, the sheriff's office reported.

Coroner's officials and anthropologists who examined the remains estimated they had been there for about two or three years, said sheriff's Sgt. Lance Faille.